


some rise by sin (some by virtue fall)

by Softlight



Series: Liberation [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I promise a happy ending, It just might take a while, Slow Burn, like so slow burn you won't realize until we're on fire, trigger warnings at the top of each chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:00:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22692937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Softlight/pseuds/Softlight
Summary: Blake fails to separate the train cars.“You think you can just walk away from this?  Like your parents?”“No, not from this.  From you.”“You don’t get to."
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Adam Taurus, Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Series: Liberation [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632346
Comments: 191
Kudos: 217





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is dark, and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. The beginning is not happy, one might very much call it a bad beginning a la Snicket, but I promise a happy ending. It might just take a while to get there. General trigger warnings for the whole of the volume include: physical abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, emotional abuse, PTSD, trauma, and violence. Title from Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure."

Blake hadn’t made up her mind when she landed on the train. She was still debating it, even as she focused on the battle now behind her. But hearing Adam’s lack of concern for the crew solidified it for her, even as he bothered to save her life. He didn’t _care_. He just wanted vengeance, spiteful vengeance. And she couldn’t live with that anymore.

“Goodbye.” She moves to slice the train cars apart, but he pounces and pins her to the roof of the train car, a snarl on his face. He bares his teeth at her, and she goes cold with fear as her head slams into the metal of the roof. Her heart rate skyrockets as he glares at her. She can feel the heat of his breath, the heat of his anger on her skin.

“You think you can just walk away from this? Like your parents?” he sneers as she struggles against his grip. Her wrists will be bruised by the end of this. 

“No, not from this. From _you_.”

It couldn’t have been worse if she had hit him.

His face cracks, and for a moment she feels guilty. Then he slaps her, and she remembers why she’s running. 

Blake tries to get up, but he slams her back against the roof. Her head is throbbing, and she can taste blood in her mouth. “You don’t get to,” he hisses, and then everything goes black.

* * *

She wakes up in his bed. For a moment, she can almost imagine that she never tried to run, that it’s the morning of the train raid, that everything is normal. But her head is throbbing, and he’s staring at her from across the tent, leaning forward with his hands on his chin. His sword is in his lap, recently cleaned and gleaming. 

“I was worried you were going to sleep forever,” he said, and his voice is light, joking, even. Unease starts to build in her stomach, and she clutches the blankets around her. “Ahah, don’t move. You have a concussion. They want you to lay down for a few days, get some rest before your next mission.”

“What happened?” she asks, moving to sit up. He’s already there, helping her rise and placing pillows behind her to prop her up. 

He sits on the mattress and brushes a piece of hair behind her face. His touch is gentle, but she’s shivering and can’t help but wince at his touch. “You tried to run from me,” he says, voice still eerily light. He’s holding her face with his hand, and his hands are rough but holding her tenderly. “You were going to leave me.”

Her voice catches in her throat. “Adam, I-”

“I know you don’t like my methods, Blake. I just didn’t understand how much.” He almost sounds like he used to. His voice is soft, and his hand is still on her face, gently stroking her cheek. “But leaving isn’t the answer here, is it?”

She swallows. “No,” she says, voice barely above a whisper.

“I’m glad you understand that.” He smiles at her. It’s sharp as a knife. He grabs her hand with his free one, grip tight. “I can’t do this without you, my love. I need you by my side. If we want to win, I need you here with me.”

She nods. Her hand is in a fist around the blanket, and her knuckles are white with tension. He’s still gripping her arm, and she thinks he’s going to leave more bruises.

Adam smiles and leans in to kiss her forehead. “I think you owe me an apology.” She nods again. His lips are warm on her skin. She’s proud of herself for not wincing. 

“I’m sorry, Adam,” she says. “I’m so sorry-”

“But that’s not enough, is it?” he asks, still rubbing her cheek. Her eyes are hot, and she has to swallow to keep the tears down.

“No.”

He nods, face solemn. “I think you need to be punished, Blake.” 

She stops breathing.

He stands up, holding out his hand. “Come here,” he says, and she has no choice but to take his hand. She’s wobbly on her feet, and she falls against him. He grabs her, holds her, and helps her move to before the bed. Her hands are shaking.

“Kneel,” he says, voice still light.

“Adam, please-”

“I said, _kneel_.”

She does.

He nods, walking around to face her back. “Take off your shirt.”

She twists around, heart racing. “No, Adam, please-”

“Do it, or I will do it for you.” His voice is patient. There’s no urgency in his voice, just the understanding that he will be obeyed, one way or the other. 

She debates running, but she can barely stand, and when he caught her, because it was when, not if, whatever he planned to do would be a thousand times worse. She doesn’t know what he’s going to do. She’s never angered him like this before. He’s never been this still with fury, and she has no idea how to handle him like this. His anger is normally explosive and burning, not cold and still.

Blake slowly grabs the hem of her shirt and pulls up, twisting it over her head. Her head is throbbing, and it’s tender to the touch. She folds and places her shirt on the floor before her. Her shivering gets worse, and she’s full on shaking. 

“Take off your bra.”

She closes her eyes, moving to unhook her bra. The relief in taking it off is outweighed by the fear coursing through her. If he was just going to make her have sex, then that wasn’t so bad. She was used to that, she could handle that. She places her bra on top of her shirt. Her skin pebbles, and she resists the urge to cross her arms over her breasts. He wouldn’t like that. Her hands lay at her sides, flat against her thighs. He would notice if she clenched them into fists. He wouldn’t like that either.

She hears him take off his belt with a grunt, and she whirls around. “No, Adam please, not this, I promise, I’ll be good, I promise-” She hates listening to herself beg, but she can’t stop the flood of words that pours out of her mouth. Her aura is depleted, and she couldn’t activate it if she tried. She still does, and she still fails. 

“I know, Blake, I know,” he soothes, placing a hand on her shoulder. “But you disobeyed, and that means punishment. Unless you want the rest of the White Fang to know you tried to run.” 

She swallows, hands in fists at her side as she turns back around. “Do your worst,” she hisses, her voice leaking with bite, and she can hear his smirk in his voice.

“Oh, I intend to.” 

Blake screams. She can’t hold it in, and she hates herself for giving him the satisfaction. Again, he strikes, and tears break over her eyes and roll down her cheeks. But she stays in position, her knees aching and her back already screaming.

Again, he strikes her.

Again, he strikes her.

Again, he strikes her.

Again, he strikes her.

Again, he strikes her.

Again, he strikes her.

Again, he strikes her.

Again, he strikes her.

She braces herself for the next strike, lost to the pain. She thinks her back is bleeding when he scoops her up, his breath labored, and she winces at his touch. His sleeve sticks to her back, and she knows it’s going to hurt when he pulls away. Blake is sobbing, and he carries her to the bed and lays her on her side before tenderly tucking her in, as if he hadn’t just beat her. She watches out of the corner of her eye as he pulls off his shirt and takes off his mask before crawling in beside her, her back to him. 

“If you ever run again, I will do worse,” he says as he loops his arm over her hip. His voice is soft, his breath warm, but she’s still shaking. 

“I promise, I won’t-”

“Don’t promise, not now.” His fingers dig into her hip, and his thumb digs into one of the wounds on her back. She stifles a sob. “You broke your promises to me, I can’t trust your word anymore, little liar.” His other hand starts curling itself into her hair. “I may have forgiven you, but I won’t forget this, Blake. It will take a long time to earn my trust back.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” she hears herself say. He tucks his head in over her shoulder, his face breaths behind her own. 

“You will,” he agrees. “You will.”


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to Chapter One!   
> Quote of the chapter is: "Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness” -Katherine Henson  
> Trigger Warnings: violence, blood, abuse.

Beacon is falling all below her, and Blake knows she’s to blame for the destruction, at least partially. She couldn’t stop them, she’d  _ helped _ them. It’s her fault that the people are screaming down below, and guilt coils tight in her stomach. It hurts to breathe, and she steadies herself against the wall and turns away from the window, ears sagging.

Being in Beacon hurts. The one place she thought she would be safe once, now crumbling into ruins below her. She watches as Adam barks out orders and grins as he does, and she can’t help but think he’s taking so much pleasure in it because he knows she wanted this to be her safe haven, even if she never told him. He always knows.

Blake leans against the wall of the airship, watching him order troops out and organize their legions. Soon, he’ll be ready to go to the ground. Soon, and he’s going to drag her with him, make her bloody her hands alongside him. 

“My love,” he calls, and Blake is at his side in an instant. She still aches from a month ago, the last time she tried to run and failed to escape. Her back is scabby, and the slightest movement pulls at the wounds and makes them ooze with blood and pus. He doesn’t let her be still enough to let them heal properly, though, and she can feel them sticking to the back of her shirt. It’ll be hell to peel off later. 

He kisses her forehead, hand looping around her waist. She leans into his touch, allows him to stroke her cheek and clutch at her hip. Blake has to be good, or else he’ll punish her, and she tries to save those for when she runs. The better she is, the less he makes her do. She’s surprised he even let her come, given how close her last escape attempt was. Maybe this is the rest of her punishment.

“Are you ready?” he asks, looking down at her. 

She nods, mouth dry. She’s glad he can’t see her eyes behind her mask. 

“Good. You’re going to be at my side when we head down there, and  _ we _ are going to give them the hell they deserve.” His voice is gritty, but he’s smiling. She nods again, doing her best to school her face into a neutral mask. “What do we say?”

“Thank you, Adam.”

He smiles and kisses her forehead again. “You’re welcome.” 

They drop down beside a bar, and Adam immediately stalks in, sword unsheathed. She can’t linger long behind him, but she takes a deep breath, inhaling the smoke and blood and debris into her lungs. There’s Grimm everywhere, and there’s nowhere to run. She couldn’t escape the city in all its chaos, and she couldn’t escape him. Still, she looks around and notes the streets around the bar, just in case. Just in case.

He’s already sliced through half the patrons when she finally enters, and her stomach churns at the smell of so much blood. She could have stopped him, could have slowed him down. Instead, she was looking for exits, for an escape, and these people died because of her selfishness. Guilt coats her, slimy and slick, and she can’t help but stare at the open eyed gaze of a woman still choking on air. 

“Blake!” he calls, and she tears herself away from the woman, turning to see Adam spear a man through the gut and toss him on the ground like trash. He turns back to the man, sword at his throat. “You didn’t serve Faunus, did you?” he sneers, crouching down.

“Yes, yes, I did serve the Faunus!”

“Liar!” He cuts the man’s throat, and Blake closes her eyes. She forces herself to move closer to him, and she puts a hand on his shoulder. 

“Do we really need to bother with these people?” she asks, trying to sound bored. “There’s got to be bigger fish in this sea.”

He grins, and half his face is flecked in blood already. “That’s my girl,” he says, voice full of warmth and pride, and he kisses her on the mouth. She kisses him back, leans into his touch. He tastes metallic, and she tries not to gag at the thought of their blood in her mouth.

“Just this last one, and we’ll go,” he promises as they break away. She tries to smile, but it flutters weakly. 

“Okay,” she says. Her eyes dart to the man he’s about to kill, shaking beneath the bar in a puddle of his own urine. She can’t blame him. 

He drags him out from underneath the bar by the collar, holding him high in the air before throwing him to the ground and stomping on his stomach. She hears a crack, and she winces at the sound. He raises his blade, and she forces herself to watch, to be the adoring partner he wants her to be. If she was good, she would be reveling in this. If she was good, she would take part. If she was good, he wouldn’t hurt her.

But she can’t bring herself to be good. She turns away just as his sword peaks. She can’t watch this.

“No!” someone screams, and Blake turns to see a girl, a young Huntress. “GET AWAY FROM HIM!” She silently begs her to turn around, to run far away. This isn’t a battle she can win. Blake knows better than anyone.

Adam turns, a smirk on his face as he kicks the man over. “You think you can stop me?” he drawls. 

The girl’s hair turns to fire, and her eyes glow red as she charges, and all Blake can do is watch as he slices her arm clean off. The girl falls to the floor without a sound. She groans, and she still struggles to get back on her feet, staggering into another fall. Blake can’t tear her eyes away from the girl, who keeps trying to get back up. Her knees are shaking, but she grabs onto the table, desperately trying to pull herself up to stand and face Adam on her own two feet. The girl moans, and she’s bleeding everywhere. Her blood is coating the stone floor, and Adam’s blade is dripping with it. Blake swallows thickly.

“Pathetic,” he sneers, slowly walking over to her. She grabs him by the elbow, holding him back.

“Please, Adam,” she begs. “Let’s just go.” He shrugs her off and moves towards the girl. “We don’t have to kill her, Adam, she’s just a kid.” She can’t be much older than Blake, and she’s all too aware of the irony.

“She’s a Huntress!” he says, turning away from the girl. Blake watches her out of the corner of her eye as he shakes her, praying that she can get up and run. But the girl just falls back down again, and Blake winces as she hears her body hit the stone floor. “They’re against us. We need to even the score.” He moves to unsheath his sword but stops, turning his head to look at her. “Do it.”

She staggers back. The girl isn’t moving, just staring at them and breathing heavily. “What?”

“Do this, and your punishment will be finished.” She turns her head to the side, but he raises her chin with his fingers, his bloody fingers, and forces her to look him in the eye. “I promise, Blake.”

Blake feels herself nod, and Adam smiles. “I love you,” he says, brushing her hair out of her face. 

She forces herself to plant a kiss on his cheek, leaning up on her tiptoes. “I love you too,” she replies, brushing the blood from his face with her hand. He smiles, and he turns to watch her go.

Blake slowly steps up to the girl, whose lilac eyes are narrowed, and she spits at her. She can’t blame her. 

She unsheathes Gambol Shroud’s blade, standing over the girl. The girl struggles one last time to get up, but, when she can’t, she looks Blake in the eyes, her own blazing. “Do your worst,” she seethes, staring her down.

And Blake can’t take it anymore.

She sheaths her weapon and runs, scooping up the girl and leaving her Semblance behind to buy them time and uses it to push them ahead and out of the bar. She runs as fast as she can, but the girl is fighting her, and she’d be proud of her spirit if it wasn’t costing them precious time.

“I’m trying to save you!” she says, running down an alley. It’s straight down, and there’s a curve at the end, and she prays that she can get this girl back to her team, back to safety before he catches them. “Where can I take you?”

“Yeah, right,” the girl says, squirming in her arms. Blake can hear Adam calling for her already. Her eyes dart around, looking for somewhere, anywhere to hide.  _ Think think think _ -

There’s a dumpster, and she peaks inside as the girl continues to fight her. It’s empty. She takes off her mask and stares the girl in the eyes. “My name is Blake, and if you want to survive, we need to get you in this dumpster.” 

The girl purses her lips but nods, and she drops the girl inside as gently as possible and hands her her hair bow. The girl groans from all the jostling, but at least she’s upright. “You need to stay hidden,” she hisses to the girl, lowering the lid onto her. “Do you have a Scroll you can call for help with?”

The girl’s eyes are glazed over, but she nods, staring at the ribbon in her hands. “What’s this for?”

“A tourniquet. They do teach you how to make those, right?” The girl nods again, slumping against the wall of the dumpster. Her arm might get infected, but that’s neither of their biggest problems right now.

“Good. Once he takes me back, call for help. Not before then.”

She moves to drop the lid when the girl asks, “Why are you helping me?” The girl is huddled in on herself. She looks like a china doll someone dropped, and Blake’s heart pangs.

Blake smiles tightly. “Because I couldn’t help them.” The girl’s eyes flash, but she nods.

“Blake!” he calls, and every hair stands on edge. Blake drops the lid and starts running down the alley. “Why must you hurt me, Blake?” She sees him round the corner of the alley out of the corner of her eye, and her heart jumps into her throat.

She keeps running, it’s all she can do. But he’s faster than she is, and he slams her into the brick wall by her throat.

* * *

Yang is barely breathing, but she peeks out from under the lid of the dumpster just in time to see the White Fang girl,  _ Blake _ , get slammed into the wall. She almost drops the lid in surprise, but she manages to hold it up as she watches him hold her up by her throat. She wants to go to her, wants to help her, but shock is wearing off and pain is starting to radiate from her arm-

Where her arm used to be.

She watches as he smashes her against the wall again, her head bouncing off it like a ball. Blake’s aura weakly flickers purple. Yang winces at the sight, and he slings her over his shoulder before she can fall to the ground. 

“Why do I put up with you?” he asks, and she can’t make out her reply, but Blake holds her head up and starts mouthing to her to  _ run _ ,  _ go _ ,  _ flee _ . There’s blood trickling down the side of her face. Yang watches as they turn the corner, heart pounding.

She fumbles for her Scroll and dials Ruby.

“I’m in a dumpster by the bar on Hillhead, I’m injured, and I need help.” The words come out in a rush, and she can barely make out Ruby screaming for her when everything goes dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Two will also be posted tomorrow, and then we're going to weekly postings on Thursdays. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Next chapter will be posted Thursday. Enjoy!  
> Trigger warnings: trauma, loss of a limb, PTSD, flashbacks.

When Yang wakes up, she’s tucked into bed. Her bed, back at home in Patch. Taiyang is in the corner, dozing, and there’s light coming in from the windows. She blinks once, twice, trying to get the sleep from her eyes. When she wakes up, she’s forgotten, and she’s just confused as to how she got home from Beacon. 

And then she moves to stretch, and everything seems wrong. She’s off balance, even though she’s in bed, and her right arm is screaming in pain and her head darts down to look and-

There’s nothing. There’s absolutely nothing. Something curdles in her stomach, and she closes her eyes. When she opens them, her arm is still gone. The pain doesn’t go away, though, and she can  _ feel _ herself flexing her fingers to try and make the pain stop. Her fingers are moving, but she doesn’t have any fingers,  _ she doesn’t have any fingers _ . 

Everything floods back, but it’s in pieces, and it’s a blur of black and red and pain. She can’t stop staring at where her arm would be, where it should be, and it’s not there, why isn’t it there? Her breath is shaky, and she starts to hyperventilate.

“Woah, easy, little dragon, easy,” Taiyang says, snapping up from his chair and rushing to her side. “You’re okay, you’re okay.”

Her hand starts to shake, and she can’t wrench her eyes from the air where her arm is supposed to be, where it is but it isn’t. Taiyang is rubbing her back, and she’s shaking. Her arm is gone. 

Her arm is  _ gone _ .

“But I’m not, Dad, I don’t have my arm!” Her arm is wrapped in bandages, she can feel them against her skin, but she can’t tell where what’s left of her arm ends and where what’s missing begins, and she doesn’t want to touch it to find out. 

He shushes her and holds her against his chest as she shudders, rubbing her back until she gets it out of her system. “It’s okay, it’s all okay,” he says, and she barely resists the urge to snap at him that  _ it’s not okay, I’m down a limb, I can’t exactly grow one back _ before the tension in her chest loosens and she’s crying. 

Taiyang holds her through it, though, and soon enough she’s wiping at her face, trying to get the tears off. He steadies her on the bed, holding her upper arms after propping her up with pillows. “Do you remember what happened?” he asks, eyes soft. 

Yang closes her eyes. “Beacon. The school. The girl-”

“The girl?” he repeats.

She nods, opening her eyes to stare down at her remaining hand. “She saved me,” she says, voice distant. Yang isn’t here, she’s back in the dumpster and Blake is being slammed into the wall with a vicious  _ crack _ . “She got hurt for it, she knew she was going to get caught, but she saved me.” Her throat heats up. “He hurt her for it.” 

“Who?” Taiyang asks, brow furrowed.

“The girl. Blake. And-” Her breath catches. “ _ Adam _ .” That’s what she had called him. Her fingers clench into a fist, but she loosens it as she covers her mouth to hide a sob. 

“Slow down, Yang, deep breaths,” he tries, but Yang shakes her head.

“ _ He took my arm _ .” The noise that comes out of her doesn’t sound human. It sounds like breaking glass. 

Taiyang looks uncomfortable, but he nods, and he strokes her back. “I know, kiddo. I know.”

* * *

The next time she wakes up, Taiyang is gone, and Qrow is there. She remembers when she wakes up this time, and she hates that the minute of peace she had before is gone. 

“Hey,” Qrow says, leaning against the door frame. “Tai just stepped out for a minute. Want me to grab him?”

“No, I’m okay,” she says, and it’s a lie, because she’s not okay, but she can fake it well enough. Qrow nods, plunking down into Tai’s chair with a swig of his flask. “What happened?” she asks quietly, staring dead ahead. 

“Beacon fell,” he says bluntly. She doesn’t bother wincing. “Ozpin is missing. Your sister turned a Grimm to stone. Pyrrha Nikos is dead.”

Each sentence hits her harder, and she imagines she’s activated her Semblance and she can hit back at the world twice as hard as it’s hit her. But, of course, she can’t. Injury from words doesn’t count by her Semblance’s rules, no matter how much they hurt. 

“Oh,” she says finally. She’s staring down at where her right hand would be falling right now, and she only sees blanket. 

Qrow nods. “I figured you’d want to know.”

“Thanks, Qrow.” Her other hand curls around the covers.

He nods again, taking another sip of his drink. 

She hesitates. “Is Ruby okay?”

“Your sister’s fine. Been passed out for a week, but she’s fine. She’ll probably wake up soon.” He taps his fingers along his flask. She can tell he’s debating another drink but decides against it. “Everyone’s been wondering how you’ve been.”

“Everyone?” she repeats.

“Your dad. Your professors. The Schnee girl, before her father came and took her away.” He shook his head, disgusted. 

Her heart skips a beat, and she feels almost human for a moment. “Weiss’s dad came?” Worry courses through her system, but it dulls, and she’s back to feeling cold.

“Yup,” he pops, leaning back. “Probably been back in Atlas for a day or two now.”

She closes her eyes. Glowing red eyes stare back at her with a sharp grin, and she snaps her eyes open. “And team JNPR?” Or JNR now, she supposes. She ignores the pang in her chest and stares down at her lap. 

“They’ve been sending mail the old fashioned way, what with the comm towers down, but we’ve been getting letters by the bucketload from a Jaune, Nora, and Ren.” Qrow tilts his head back. “They’re worried about you too.”

“Oh.” 

Qrow nods, leaning back.

“Yeah.”

“Anything else?”

He shrugs. “I’m supposed to get your account of what happened, but I can wait.” His leg twitches. She lays back down, staring up at the ceiling. Ruby had pasted glow in the dark stars and a moon up there when they were little, and she could still see them. They were starting to peel, but they were still there.

“What do you need to know?” she asks, not removing her gaze from the ceiling.

“You said you saw a girl and a man. Can you describe them?”

“They both wore Grimm masks,” she says before frowning. “But the girl took hers off. She had yellow eyes and cat ears.”

“And the man?”

Yang closes her eyes. Red eyes glow back at her.

“Red hair. Tall. Bull horns. Wore a black jacket with a rose on it.” Her mouth dries up. “His sword was red. It glowed.”

“Anything else?” Qrow asks, voice quiet.

“Their names were Blake and Adam.” She swallows, fixing her gaze on a star barely hanging on. “Blake saved my life.”

“She’s White Fang,” he dismissed.

“He was about to kill me, and she sprinted me away from him.” She hesitates. “He slammed her into the wall when he found her.”

Qrow sighs, rubbing his forehead. “Adam Taurus and Blake Belladonna. Prominent members of the White Fang. Taurus is a rising general and renowned for his cruelty, and Belladonna is his pet. You’re saying she saved you?” 

“Are you saying I made it up?” There’s an edge to her voice she doesn’t expect.

“I’m saying that you just went through something traumatic, and trauma does something to your memories.”

“My memories are fine,” she insists. “She gave me her bow.”

That makes Qrow still. “The black ribbon we found around your arm?”

“She gave it to me. Told me to make a tourniquet.” Yang turns her head away from the ceiling and towards the window. “She hid me, and then he chucked her over his shoulder, and they were gone.”

“Huh. Good to know.” He moves to stand, but he pauses. “Do you need anything?”

“Have a spare arm lying around?” she asks, but there’s no bite to her voice, no humor. 

Qrow chuckles anyway, and she hates him for it, hates him for accommodating her, for pitying her. “Get well soon, firecracker,” he says, and then he’s gone.

* * *

She hasn’t gotten out of bed in days. Yang gets up, gets dressed, goes to the bathroom, and then slinks back to bed. It’s her new morning routine. She doesn’t have the energy for much else. She mostly just stares out the window and watches the birds in the trees outside. Taiyang offered to get a chair to put outside for her, but she’s happier in bed. Well, as happy as she can be.

She hasn’t had the strength to look in the mirror yet. She tries every morning. Yang starts at her face, which looks the same and yet not, and slowly moves her way down. She’s gotten as far as her collarbones when her hand starts to shake, and she retreats back to bed. Taiyang changes the bandages every few days, and she hasn’t had the strength to watch then, either. She doesn’t really know how much is gone, but she knows it’s above the elbow. 

“Yang?” She slowly turns her head from the window to her sister, and she tries to force a smile but fails.

“Hey, Ruby.” Ruby looks the same, but she’s taking in Yang, and Yang knows she doesn’t.

Ruby’s smile is wobbly as she comes over and sits on the edge of her bed. Her skirts are black and red, and he was black and red, there was so much red, and her hand starts to shake. But it’s Ruby, it’s her  _ sister _ . She won’t hurt her. She tries just looking at her face, but she can still see the black and red out of the corner of her eye. Her hand clenches.

And then Ruby is hugging her tight. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says, and Yang closes her eyes. She wants to scream that she’s not, but she knows what she means, and she can’t yell at her sister. She won’t. 

“Yeah. You too,” she says, hugging back. It’s awkward with only one arm, and she can feel what’s left of her right arm trying to hold her sister and failing. She breaks the hug by leaning back into her pillows. 

Ruby wipes her face. “What do we do now?” she asks, eyes wide and open and still so bright. Yang turns her head so she can’t see the pain in her own eyes.

“Rest. Sleep. Eat.” 

“But what about Weiss?”

“Dad didn’t tell you?” 

Ruby shakes her head.

“Weiss’s dad took her back to Atlas.”

Ruby goes white. “We need to go get her!”

“She’s safer there than she is pretty much anywhere else.”

“But team RYW-”

“Is done. We’re done. Weiss is gone, and I’m-” Her breath catches in her throat, and she clenches her eyes shut. A sneer stares back at her, and she snaps them open again, hand shaking. She shakes her head. “I’m tired, Ruby.”

“Yang-”

“I mean it, Ruby. I’m tired. Let me rest.” It’s the only thing she can do right now.

Ruby’s eyes grow watery, but Yang turns her head towards the wall, her other new pastime. “Okay,” she sniffs, backing off the bed. She hesitates at the door. “I love you.”

She just stares at the wall. Of course she loves her sister, but the energy it would take to tell her that just seems impossible to gather. She keeps staring at the wall until Ruby leaves, and her heart is racing, and she wants to cry but she doesn’t have the energy. So she just keeps staring at the wall.

* * *

She’s laying in bed when Taiyang comes in, his hand in his hair and his other one clutching a piece of paper.

“Dad?”

He silently hands her the paper, taking a seat on the edge of her mattress. She feels him watching her as she quickly scans it, and her heart drops. 

“She’s gone,” he says as she folds up the letter, placing it back in his hand. “I found this on her bed this morning.” 

Her stomach churns. “She didn’t say goodbye?” she asks.

Taiyang shakes his head. “I think she knew we would try to stop her.” He hesitates. “Would you have wanted to go with her?”

“I can’t go like this, Dad.” 

He nods, but there’s something sad in his eyes. Yang can’t bear to look at it anymore, so she averts her gaze. He kisses her forehead and pushes her hair behind her shoulders. “Rest up, kiddo. Tomorrow, we’re training.”

“Dad-”

“No buts. We need to get you out of this bed.”

She turns her gaze to the window. “What if I can’t?” she asks, voice weak. He squeezes her knee.

“Then we try again the next day. Step by step, Yang, step by step.”

* * *

Her new arm arrives, and she wants to throw up. 

“Latest in Atlesian technology, a special commission from Ironwood himself,” she hears Taiyang say. She wants to stop looking at it, but she can’t tear her gaze from it. 

It’s so  _ sterile _ . So sleek and emotionless, everything she’s not. 

“Do you want to try it on?” he asks, voice gentle. 

She opens her mouth, then closes it. “Maybe tomorrow.”

* * *

Yang knows she’s dreaming because her mom is there and she has both her arms.

“Yang,” her mom says with a smile, another way she knows she’s dreaming, extending her hand. “Come here.” But before Yang can move, before she can blink, there’s a flash of red, and her mom is ripped in half, and he’s there, sword glowing and grinning like a madman. 

“Time to finish what I started,” he says, striding towards her.

Yang scrambles backwards, but she can’t move far, and she’s tripping over her own feet, and she moves to arm Ember Celica but her arm is gone, and she’s defenseless, and he’s coming, he’s coming,  _ he’s coming _ -

She wakes up, and her heart is in her throat. She’s clutching the sheets around her, and sweat is beaded on her skin. Her room is too dark, and Yang can barely see the room around her, just barely lit by the moon. Her breath is ragged. She sits up and curls over herself. She’s shaking. 

Her eyes close tight, and her hands curl into themselves, nails pricking her skin. She can still see his grin, illuminated by the glow of his sword. He’s laughing at her in her mind, mocking her for her weakness. She can hardly blame him.

Yellow eyes flash before her, and Yang takes a deep, steadying breath. That girl,  _ Blake _ , saved her life, and she paid for it. She doesn’t care what Qrow said, she knows what happened. Blake saved her life. She knew she would get caught, knew she would be punished. Yang had seen it in her eyes. And she still helped her.

Yang looks down at her hand, pale in the moonlight. She makes a fist, then releases it, stretching out her fingers and bending them as far back as they will go. She taps her fingers against the blankets, one by one. She runs her thumb along each finger, feeling the pads of each finger and the indents of her prints. 

Slowly, she stretches her arm to her right shoulder, stiffening as she makes contact. Her shoulder feels the same. She moves her hand down her bicep, and her fingers start to shake. She curves her hand over the end of her arm and cups it. Yang can’t feel her skin through the bandages, but she can feel the curve of her skin. It’s rounded, and she winces as she touches it. It’s sore to the touch, and she can feel the scab that’s formed beneath the bandages. 

Her breath deepens, and she looks at her hand. There’s less than she thought left. But she’s touching it, and she’s looking at it. Her hand curls around the end of her arm and holds it. She gives her arm a shake, as if she was shaking her own hand. “Nice to meet you,” she says, and she laughs slightly. 

Her breath catches. She hasn’t laughed in what feels like years. 

Yang puts her hand down in her lap and looks out the window. There’s a bird staring back at her, red eyes staring at her. She shrinks back, clutching her hand to her chest. The bird blinks at her once, twice, before flying off, leaving Yang alone. 

She drops her hand from her chest and lies back down. The stars on the ceiling are glowing faintly, and her eyes crinkle at the sight. She can’t force a smile, but she’s getting there. She’s getting there.

She wants to believe it, but all she sees when she closes her eyes is red ones staring back.

* * *

The next day, she tries on the arm. Her arm, she supposes. 

It’s lighter than she expects, but it feels heavier once she’s strapped it on. Her upper arm twitches, and the metal fingers move in response. She swallows thickly, and she twitches her arm again. This time, the fingers extend. She can move the wrist, her wrist, and it’s a weird feeling that’s also not a feeling. She runs her left hand over the metal, and it’s smooth and cold to the touch, but it’s warming to her skin. 

She clenches her fists, both her fists, and she stands. She’s still off balance, but it feels more natural now. Almost normal, but still so foreign.

Yang heads down the stairs and meets Taiyang outside, stretching her arm. “It’s a beautiful day,” she says, and he nods. He’s smiling, and she can’t help but smile back. His eyes take in her arm, and he nods.

“It sure is,” he agrees. He stands up and stretches, bending backwards. “Do you want to train?”

She nods, mouth dry. Yang swallows and takes a deep breath, pulling her hands up by her face. “Don’t go easy on me, now,” she hears herself joke. Taiyang assumes a fighting stance, and she mirrors him.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, kiddo.”

He takes her through a relatively easy warm up, but she’s still sweating by the end of it. She’s favoring her left arm for blocks and strikes, but she’s feeling looser, and her right arm is starting to feel more like a weapon she has control of. It’s not like having her arm back, but it’s like having an extension of her body, and she can only imagine that the more she uses it, the more natural it will feel.

She’s just starting to ache when Taiyang stops her. “That’s enough for today.”

“I can keep going, Dad.”

He shakes his head. “We don’t want to over exert you. If you really want to keep training, you can run some laps.”

She wrinkles her nose and rolls her eyes, but she nods. “Light jog, Yang. Don’t push it,” he warns, and she nods.

“I won’t.” 

Her feet take her down the old path, the path she and Ruby used to run every day back when they first started training. Her arm is heavy, but it feels good to push her arms back and forth as she runs, so she can mostly ignore it. She hates running, mostly because of the effect it has on her chest, but it feels good to be moving. 

She’s breathing clean, and the air around her is clear and sweet. There’s bees buzzing around her, and she can just hear birds chirping over the sound of her own labored breath. She’s panting, and damn, running is the worst, but her body feels like her own again. Yang had forgotten how good training made her feel, and she pushes herself to go a little faster with a grin. 

But then she’s running into a bar, and there’s a pain in her arm, and she’s screaming. She falls to the ground, shielding her arm and ducking her head. Her chest is heaving, and she’s waiting for a strike that never comes. 

Yang looks up, and she’s back in the woods. She’d never left.

She picks herself up off the ground, dusts her pants off, and she starts walking. Not back home, but to the end of the path. She would finish her run-turned-walk, and then she would go back. 

There’s a ringing in her ears, but she keeps walking, slowing her pace to a casual stroll. Her hand is shaking at her side, but her metal arm is still. She grabs onto her shaking arm and holds it as she walks. She doesn’t let go until she’s back home.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!   
> Trigger Warnings: Violence, blood, sexual violence, sexual content.   
> Quote of the Chapter: "These violent delights have violent ends" -William Shakespeare

Adam carries her back to the ship and locks her in. “I’ll deal with you later,” he snarls, slamming the door shut. 

Blake bangs on the door, but it won’t give way. The raised metal cuts into her hands, but she can’t bring herself to care. Her back is screaming, her head is aching, and her throat is burning, what could some bloody knuckles do to her now? Still, the sight of her blood makes her stop, and she draws away from the door.

She sits on the floor and leans against the wall, wincing as her head falls against it. There’s not enough space for her to lay down, but she wishes there was. He had probably planned for her rebellion, she thinks bitterly. Probably planned on locking her in here anyway, even if she hadn’t saved that girl. She would have messed up eventually, and he was always looking for her failures. 

Her Aura begs to be unlocked, but she keeps it shut down and forces it to obey. Adam didn’t like it when she was healed by the time he got back. Her Aura was locked down most days, only on when she went on missions. It wasn’t something he had ordered her to do, but she had noticed that he hurt her less if he could see what he had done already. She had plenty of opportunity to test her theory, after all.

She had let it drop and shatter after he slammed her into the wall the second time. It was easy to forget how it felt to get hit and not bleed, and she couldn’t help but marvel at the precious moments before she had let it drop. It still hurt, but she didn’t take damage, and that felt like a revelation. Her skin not breaking open on impact was enough to make her cry. She so rarely got to hurt without damage.

There’s no light in the room, or closet, or wherever he’s stashed her, but she can still see. It’s completely empty, just a blank space perfect for holding a captive. She swallows. 

Blake didn’t like thinking about her position. She hasn’t yet found a word that encapsulates her situation. Prisoner works, but she was willing enough that it made her feel guilty about using it when people were actually imprisoned. She was never in chains, never locked up. Well, usually not locked up. He let her roam around their camps as she pleased, and she went out on missions. She was only chained to Adam.

She sighs, tilting her head up towards the ceiling. She was going to be there for a while, and she had no doubt that she would at least stay the night before he bothered to come and collect her. He would probably deny her food, too, but he normally came with water after he locked her up. If he was really angry, he wouldn’t let her out until after they got back to camp.

The taste of blood is still in her mouth, but she can’t spit it out when she’s not sure when she’ll drink again. Instead, Blake wipes at her mouth with the back of her hands. She’s covered in the girl’s blood, and it’s crusting over, but her hands are relatively clean. Well, literally clean. 

She closes her eyes, and lilac eyes flash red behind her lids. Blake hugs her knees to her chest. She hopes the girl makes it. That kind of blood loss can’t go untreated for long, but she seemed like a fighter. All she can do is hope that the girl can hold on until help arrives. She appeared confident in its arrival, despite the pain, and Blake hopes her confidence won’t fail her.

Despite herself, she smiles. She saved one. 

The images of the broken bodies she failed to save, the ones she let die, stab into her, and she winces, barely resisting the urge to cry out. She still failed. So many dead from her initial lingering, and that girl would probably die before help arrived, if she didn’t die from infection. But she couldn’t stop the kernel of hope in her chest that maybe, just maybe, she would live, and that Blake isn’t a total monster.

* * *

“You know, I’ve finally figured out your problem,” he says as he circles her. She’s topless and on her knees, and it’s hard to avoid his gaze when she can feel it pouring all over her skin, lingering over her newly bleeding wounds and licking his lips. She’s panting from the pain, shaking. He likes her like this, she can see it jutting out in his pants, but it still curdles her blood everytime she sees how it affects him.

He went easy this time. Only seven strikes. Either he’s planning on giving her a little every day, or he has bigger plans for her. She hopes it’s the former, despite the hell it’ll wreck on her body. Adam is creative, and he’s never short on ideas for punishing her.

“It’s not that you don’t like violence, but that sure doesn’t help. You’re too stubborn about that, but even you have to admit that it gets the results we want.” She holds her tongue, bites down hard enough that she tastes blood. “But I think I finally figured out why you can’t understand that this is the best way for us.”

He kneels before her. “You’re weak, my love,” he says, cupping her face in his rough hands, “but I will make you  _ strong _ . I promise you, Blake.”

“How?” she hears herself ask, and her voice sounds like broken glass.

He runs his finger over her tear stains and pulls away, licking her tears from his fingers. He’s wearing his mask, and she can’t see his eyes, but she suspects they’re bright. “I’ve been too kind to you. You need a firmer hand, my love, and I’ve been too soft hearted to do so. But I love you too much to let you stay like this.”

“How, Adam?” she repeats, closing her eyes. Her hands are starting to shake.

He grabs her by the back of her throat and squeezes as he pulls her close to him. “You have to earn my kindness, now. No more jaunts off base camp, no more seeing Ilia, no more gentleness until you understand that your place is besides me.” Despite his harshness, he’s calm.

He studies her and tilts his head. “Why do you have to hurt me, Blake?” he asks, and there’s pain in his voice now. He sounds tired. She reaches up to touch his face, and she can barely see through the tears brimming. 

“I don’t want to, I don’t want to hurt anyone!” she says, and he brings her to his chest as she starts to sob. “I don’t want to hurt anyone!”

“I know, I know,” he coos, rubbing her arms. “But you hurt me when you run, my love. Don’t you understand that?” He cups the hand on his face and holds it. “That’s why I have to punish you. You need to understand how you’ve hurt me.” He brushes more tears from her face. “I don’t want to do this, but I have to. You’ll thank me someday.”

She shudders against him. “Please, I’ll be good, I just didn’t want to hurt her, please, I’ll be good.” 

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, Blake, it’s okay. I took care of her.” He chuckles, and every hair stands on end. “She put up quite the fight, but I took care of her. It was painless for her, I promise. See, she made me realize all this. You’re scared, and you’re weak, but I can make you strong. You’ll see.”

Blake’s heart crumbles. “She’s dead?” she asks, dizzy.

Adam nods. “I cleaned up your mess, Blake. And what do we say?”

“Thank you,” she says, more on instinct than anything. “I didn’t want to hurt her, Adam.”

“And you didn’t. But don’t worry, I’ll give you another chance. There’s plenty more out there who deserve it.”

She wants to put her hands over her mouth and scream, but she just bites her tongue and screws her eyes shut as she hugs him tighter. “Thank you. For giving me another chance.” The words are like ashes in her mouth. 

“Of course, Blake. I love you too much to lose you.” 

He holds her tight, tight enough that she can barely breathe. “Promise me you’ll stop running.” His voice is hard, and it’s like he’s held a knife to her throat. “Promise me.”

Her voice catches in her throat. She thinks about it.

Where has running got her? Nowhere. What has running got her? A scarred and bloodied back and bloodier hands and a guilty conscience. It would be easier to stop running, wouldn’t it? 

She thinks about the girl who kept trying to get up despite it all. She thinks about how her life was cut too short because of her. She thinks about the confidence in her eyes. She thinks about it.

“I promise, Adam, I won’t run again. I  _ promise _ .” 

And she won’t.

Not if she can tear him down from the inside out, or die trying.

Adam sags against her. “This is your last chance. If you run again, I’m never letting you go.”

“I promise, Adam. I promise I’ll be good.” Her throat bobs. She can do that, can’t she? She can be good. She can obey. She can listen. 

Her hands fumble to unnotch his belt, but he catches her by the wrists. “What’re you doing?” he asks, voice light. 

“I want to thank you. For everything you’ve done for me.” She smiles at him. There are still tear stains on her red cheeks, and she can feel his hardness against her. “Let me thank you.”

His jaw slackens, but he nods and releases her hands. She takes a deep breath and finishes what she started. She throws his belt onto the desk, next to the one covered in her blood and already crusting over. Blake keeps going, unzipping his pants, but he grabs her wrist again.

“Let’s move to the bed,” he says, tilting her chin up. She nods and stands up, still woozy but fighting it. She can fight it. She can fight.

But his arms circle around her, and he helps her to the bed. “I got you,” he murmurs against her neck. “I got you.” His hands are gentle now, and it’s hard to reconcile this Adam with the one who just beat her bloody. It’s easier to not think about it.

She’s laying on her side, and she watches as he pulls off his trousers before shrugging out of his jacket and twisting off his shirt. He’s left in his underwear and his mask. He lays down on the bed on his back, and he pulls her down on top of him, catching her by her hips. She bites her lip to keep from screaming from the pain. 

“You are so beautiful,” he says, brushing her hair behind her face. “And you’re all mine.”

She kisses him so she doesn’t have to reply. His mouth is hot, and his fingers are tightly curled around her hair and digging into her scalp. His other hand creeps up her side, landing on her hip. His fingers will come away bloodied, but she ignores it. 

He tastes smooth but burns like alcohol. His lips are soft, and they move against her harshly, as if he’s trying to devour her. She kisses him back with just as much passion, letting herself be claimed. She runs her hand over his pecs, settling her hand on his ribcage. 

“You’re unusually frisky today,” he murmurs.

She smiles into his lips. “I guess I’ve just realized how good I have it,” she says. Blake looks in his eyes and takes off his mask, gently placing it on the nightstand besides them before staring into his eyes once more. She sits up and brushes her hand against the scarred half of his face. “I love you, Adam. And I don’t want to hurt you anymore.” He smiles, and victory shines in his eyes. She can’t tell if she’s lying or not. 

“I love you too.” He lets her shift down his body and pull down his underwear. She takes a deep breath. 

In her mind, she’s not here. In her mind, she’s in battle. In her mind, he is a foe that must be vanquished. In her mind, it’s easier. 

“You’re gonna be the death of me,” he says, and a shockwave goes through his body, and then he’s spilling into her mouth. 

She swallows as daintily as she can, ignoring the revulsion running through her. Blake wipes her mouth and crawls back up the bed, letting herself collapse into his side. His arms wrap around her, and he starts kissing her neck. He licks at something, and the sinking in her stomach tells her it’s her blood. Her back is still openly weeping, but he must not care about getting blood all over him as he presses into her. He’s too used to it.

“You’re too good to me,” she says as he sucks on the spot that makes her toes curl. He hums, making her skin vibrate. 

“My love, I am just what you deserve.”

That’s just what she fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming next Thursday! Hope you enjoyed.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Sorry about the missed update last week, Life got in the way. Hope this chapter makes up for it!

Yang’s been tinkering with Ember Celica and her arm. Working with only one hand is hard, but she pinches the metal between her knees to hold it and does her modifications as best she can. Yang imagines the Atlesian scientist who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into her arm would be horrified to see what she was doing to it, but, well, it’s her arm. She’s the one that has to live with it. But it looks like they knew she would be messing with it, and it’s relatively easy to modify. 

Recalibrating her arm’s shooter to Ember Celica’s is a little harder, though not terribly difficult. It doesn’t take her long to have them working to as close to in sync as she can get, which is pretty damn close. 

Spray painting her arm gold to match Ember Celica makes her smile, and not the least because she can see the Atlesian scientist losing their shit about ruining their hard work with some paint. But when she puts her arm back on, it feels more like a natural part of her than it ever has before. She’s used to training with her arm now, and it feels as natural as Ember Celica. Maybe even more so. 

Once Ember Celica and her arm are updated, she turns to fixing up Bumblebee. She’s not in disrepair, but she could use a tune up, and it gives Yang something to do besides chores and training. 

“Thinking about going for a ride one of these days?” Taiyang asks, leaning against the barn door.

Yang shrugs. “Soon. But not yet.”

“Where would you want to go?” he asks, and his tone is light, but she can sense his worry beneath the surface.

She sighs, dropping her rag onto Bumblebee and wiping her forehead. “I’m not sure yet,” she admits. 

“Do you want to talk it through?” 

“Maybe later? I think I need to do some more thinking on it myself first.”

Taiyang nods, turning to leave. “You missed a spot.”

She checks the front of Bumblebee and groans, wiping at the grease stain on her paint job. Yang sighs, leaning against her workbench. 

Logically, it made sense to go to Mistral, it made sense to reunite with her sister. She owed her that much after their last few interactions. Yang frowns, wiping at her bike some more. She hasn’t been a very good big sister of late, and that was the one job she always prided herself on. Every inch of her wanted to go to her sister and see if she was okay, see if she had made it to Mistral.

And where else would she go? She couldn’t stay in Patch, she couldn’t stay cooped up. It wasn’t healthy for her. No, she needed to go out and fight, make her way to Ruby.

“Yang.” She startles, arm twitching as she whirls around. “Easy, dragon. I just…” Taiyang scratches the back of his head. “It’s about your mom.”

She stiffens. “What about her?” she asks, crossing her arms. “Are we talking about her now?”

Taiyang sighs. “Guess I deserve that.” He leans against the opposite wall of the barn. “If you’re thinking about leaving home, and, if you still want to find her, I can set you on the right path.”

Her heart stops. “Do you think I should go try and find her?” she asks slowly.

“You’re old enough to make your own decisions regarding your mother now, and I won’t stop you.”

“So that’s a no.”

Taiyang rubs his face. “Let’s just say it’s not a yes. Raven is… difficult at the best of times. But it’s your choice, Yang.”

Her hands curl into fists around the table behind her, and she sighs. “I need more time to think,” she says finally. Taiyang nods, hands in surrender.

“I just wanted to let you know all your options before you decided.” Taiyang looks out the barn door. “Take your time. But don’t just leave me a note like your sister, yeah?” He smiles. “I’ll leave you be now.”

“Thanks, Dad.” 

“No problem, kiddo.”

Yang turns back to her bike. Ruby is her end goal. Just because she could find her mom and get answers didn’t change that. Still, the sheer  _ want _ gnawed at her. She wanted answers, but Ruby came first. She owed her sister that much, and she could always find Raven after. 

But Raven’s Semblance was portaling to people, people she cared about. She doubted Raven had ever even met Ruby, but Qrow, Qrow she cared about. Qrow, who was with Ruby. Depending on where her mother was, it would be faster to go to her and then portal directly to her sister. 

Yang’s heart starts to race, and she digs her nails into the palm of her hand. She isn’t sure if she wanted to go and face her mother. Isn’t sure if she wanted the answers she would get. But she owed it to Ruby to get to her, to fight with her for whatever she believed in. She trusted her sister, and her sister needed her. Maybe not like she used to, but Ruby  _ was _ always saying the more, the merrier.

But maybe Ruby didn’t want to see her. She had been awful to her before she had left. She couldn’t blame her if she didn’t.

Yang knows Ruby would never hold that against her, that her sister was hurt because she had been hurting. But the guilt slides over her still, and it takes too many deep breaths to get her heart rate back to normal. 

She squares her shoulders. Ruby may not need her, she’s her own person, but she still wants her there. She had to. And Yang would be there for her, she wouldn’t leave her again. She wouldn’t leave.

And if she had to deal with her mother to get to Ruby, so be it. 

* * *

She dreams about her mother again that night. 

Raven is standing with her back to her, about to portal away.

“Mom?” she calls, and Raven turns.

Yang staggers backwards.

Their faces are the same. She looks at her mom, and herself looks back. Yang holds her left hand up in front of her, and her mom does the same.

Then she’s in front of a mirror, and she’s holding up her right arm, but there’s nothing in the mirror. She looks down, and her arm is gone. She’s screaming, and crying, and someone’s looming over her.

She looks up, and all she sees is red before she wakes up.

She curls her knees to her chest, laying on her side. Yang  _ hates _ that dream. She’s had it ever since Taiyang and Qrow told her that Raven was her mom. She’s done her damndest to not be her mother, to be there for her family. 

But she hasn’t been. Not when Ruby said, “I love you,” and she didn’t say it back. Not when her sister left. Not when Ruby faced down Cinder and the Grimm. Not when her sister needed her.

Yang flops on her back with a sigh. The ending was new, though. Normally, the dream ended when she saw her mother’s face and shifted to something else, if she didn’t wake up. She supposes that having dreams about losing her arm was to be expected, but if it didn’t suck, she didn’t know what did. 

She’s starting to hate the color red. Her mother wears red, she’s seen the Team STRQ photo enough times to have memorized every inch of her. He wore red. His blade was red. Her blood was red.

She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. Ruby wears red. Summer wore red. Roses are red. Good things are red. 

Her hand is shaking. 

* * *

“Why do we have Semblances?” Taiyang asks her during a water break while they’re training. 

Yang rolls her eyes. “To help us fight?”

“Supposedly, yes. Some believe that our Semblances are gifts from the gods to help us fight the Grimm. Others believe that they are reflections of our souls.”

“Okay, and?”

“Think about Ruby, for example. What does her Semblance say about her?”

“She’s fast.” Taiyang squirts water at her. “Hey!”

“Be serious,” he chides.

Yang rolls her eyes. “Uh, she’s energetic?”

“I’d say that’s a good word for it, yeah.” He laughs. “What do you think your Semblance says about you?”

“Dad-”

“Yang, answer the question.” His voice is patient but insistent, and Yang sighs.

“I have a temper?”

“Dig deeper.”

“I’m a child and can throw really powerful tantrums?” He snorts, but shakes his head. 

“Describe your Semblance to me.”

“If you hit me, I can hit you back twice as hard.”

“Exactly. What does that say about  _ you _ ?”

She pauses. “I don’t know.”

“To me, it means that you can go through hell and come out stronger for it. To me, it means that my daughter can take what the world throws at her and hit it back, twice as hard.” He smiles. “Don’t forget that.”

She stares down at her hands. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Don’t thank me, kiddo. Just pointing out the obvious.” He stretches, putting his water bottle down. “Ready for round two?”

“Always.”

* * *

She’s running the path in the woods again. As much as she hates running, Yang loves the feeling of clean air in her lungs and the way her heart beats in her chest. She feels ready for a fight, ready to go when she peaks, and even if running is the worst thing ever, maybe it could be worse. Maybe.

Yang wipes her forehead with the back of her hand as she loops back around to the house. Taiyang is in the garden, and he’s covered in dirt. 

“How was your run?” he asks, not looking up from his plants. She leans against the side of the house, catching her breath.

“Good. What’s for dinner?”

“Not sure yet. Any ideas?”

“Chicken?”

“We had chicken last night.”

“Yeah, but it was good.” She cracks a grin. “I’m gonna hop in the shower, unless you wanted to train more today.”

“Nah, you go ahead and jump in, you reek.”

“Hey, you’re the one messing about in the dirt.”

“I’m dirty, but you’re stinky.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

She turns to leave when Taiyang clears his throat. “Yang, can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“What do you want?”

She pauses. “What do you mean? Because I just told you, I want chicken for dinner.”

“No, not for dinner,” he laughs, but his tone turns careful. “What do you want from life? What do you want out of all this?”

Yang shrugs, even though he’s not looking at her. “I don’t know, why?”

“I just think you should think about it. You know, before you decide on where you’re going.” 

She thinks about his question before nodding. “I will. Thanks, Dad.” She kisses the side of his temple. “I’m gonna go jump in the shower.”

“Leave some hot water for me!” he calls as she darts into the house.

Yang grabs her towel and slides out of her sweaty clothes, tossing them in the hamper as she wraps the towel around her. Yang deatches her arm and puts it on the dresser. The note that came with her arm said that it could get wet, but she didn’t want to risk it. She heads to the bathroom and starts the shower, quickly brushing the knots from her hair. She puts the brush down, folds her towel back up, and jumps in, sighing at the warmth of the water on her tense muscles. 

“What  _ do _ I want?” she asks herself, wrinkling her nose. 

She knew what Ruby wanted. Ruby wanted to save the world and be the best person she could be. She knew what Weiss wanted. Weiss wanted to be her own person outside her family, redeem her name for herself. Hell, she knew what Professor Oobleck wanted after too many days in close quarters with the man. Well, besides the obvious of more coffee.

Yang had always been good to just go with the flow, and that worked, for a while. But what did she  _ want _ ? 

She wants to protect her sister. She wants to protect her family, her team. She wants to protect, but what happened when they didn’t need protecting anymore? Ruby is practically all grown up, and Weiss would be insulted if she ever heard that Yang wanted to protect her, even if she suspects she would be secretly pleased.

But there were always more people to protect. Maybe she could be like Ruby and be truly passionate about wanting to help people instead of just doing it because why not? 

She leans against the wall of the shower, letting the hot water cascade over her. 

_ Why are you helping me? _

_ Because I couldn’t help them _ .

The words echo in her head. She thinks about Blake, who saved her. She wanted to save the others, but she saved her. She wanted to help others, even if it hurt her in the end. She was beaten for it, hurt for it, but she still did it. She saved her life. 

Maybe Yang should return the favor.

Realization slowly crept over her. Maybe she should rescue her, maybe she could help this girl and help her save and-

And what? She’s White Fang. She was probably there willingly, and she was probably fine.

The words sound fake, even to Yang’s ears. She couldn’t get the sound of Blake’s head hitting the bricks out of her mind, the way she slumped into his arms and still held her head up to mouth to Yang. Having to be carried back didn’t seem very willing. She wonders why she stayed, why she didn’t try to run. Maybe she did, and Adam just kept coming after her.

She sucks in a breath. Adam. 

Her hand starts to shake, and she slams it against the wall. “Dammit!”

She couldn’t even think his name without shaking. How could she help her if she couldn’t even think about him? 

Yang took a deep breath. She was safe. 

But Blake wasn’t. And she owed her a life debt. 

She clenches her hand. She would go to Ruby, go to her sister. But once their mission was done, once she helped her sister, she was going after him. She swallowed. After  _ Adam _ . And she was going to help Blake with her team by her side.

Weiss would not be happy.

* * *

“I’m going to Mom,” she announces, plunking her helmet down on the kitchen table. Taiyang winces, but keeps sipping at his coffee. “But I’m going to her to get to Ruby.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Raven has never met Ruby, how’re you-” He pauses, then snaps his fingers. “Clever.”

“Thanks. Learned from the best,” she smiles. 

“When’re you leaving?” he asks, flipping his book down on the table. 

“Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter coming Thursday!


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everybody! And to new readers, welcome!  
> Quote of the Chapter: “I hope it’s love. I’m trying really hard to make it love” -Richard Siken  
> Trigger warnings: evidence of past violence, mild sexual content, lying, violence/abuse

Blake pokes at her ribs, frowning in the mirror. They’re already more purple than she anticipated, and her shirt will just barely hide the bruises. If they were any darker or any larger, she would have to steal one of Adam’s shirts. 

Hands slide over her hip and below her chest, and Adam kisses her neck. “I’m sorry,” he says against her skin, eyes lingering over his handiwork in the mirror. She forces herself to lean into his touch and expose her neck further. She can feel his teeth against the delicate part of her skin, and she imagines him biting it until she bleeds.

“It’s okay,” she says, averting her eyes to stare at the floor. He kisses the back of her neck, then starts to kiss down her spine. She shivers at the coldness of his lips, but she moves her hand on top of his. “I thought you had that meeting with Cinder soon.”

“She can wait,” he growls, finishing his trail of kisses at the small of her back. She turns around and pulls him up back so he’s towering over her once more. He groans, tucking his hands into her back pockets and pulling her close against him.

“You know she can’t,” she says gently. He rolls his eyes, but nods. 

“But when I get back-”

“I will be here, waiting.” Blake makes herself smile, and he brushes her hair behind her face. 

“Good.” He squeezes her butt before sliding his hands out of her pockets. He tucks her head beneath his chin, giving her a hug. “Don’t miss me too much,” he teases.

“I’ll do my best.”

Blake watches as he goes, waiting until after she can’t hear his footsteps anymore before pulling her shirt on. 

She flops down on the bed, barely wincing at the pain. Her wounds are mostly healed from the last time he beat her with a belt, and she can almost move normally. Ignoring the fact that she can’t breathe, her body is close to feeling normal. The ribs were her fault, she should have known better than to ask to see Ilia. She should have known.

But she is going crazy with only him to talk to. She feels like an animal in a too small cage, ready to chew its own leg off to get out. She eats all her meals with him, sleeps with him, trains with him. She’s barely allowed to see anyone besides him, let alone talk to them. That was a privilege she had yet to earn, despite her weeks of doing her best to be good and making him happy and obeying.

She had almost forgotten what he was like when he was happy with her. His hands are gentle, and he practically worships the ground she walks on. He loves her, genuinely loves her, and it’s terrifying. He loves her the way he does everything, passionately, spitefully. He loves her to spite her, he loves her in spite of everything she’s done to him, he _loves_ her. Adam loves her.

A part of her still loves that part of him. A part of her still loves him, period. And she hates that part, hates that she still craves his touch and the way his smile makes her feel. He makes her want, and when things are going good, it’s hard to remember why she ever wanted to run in the first place.

But then she messes up, and it cracks the facade, and the other Adam comes crashing through with fists at the ready. Maybe they are the same, but she can’t reconcile the man who beats her bloody with the man who kisses her spine so tenderly. Maybe she doesn’t want to.

She turns onto her side and curls into herself. It’s been weeks of letting him touch her, of hating herself for enjoying it, of his bloody hands roaming all over her. He’s gentler with her when he’s happy, when she listens, but he always leaves bruises, no matter if she’s obeyed him or not. He suckles her neck, digs into her hip with his fingers, anything to mark her up, mark her as _his_. She used to love it, used to love feeling like she was his and his possessiveness. 

But now her ribs ache, and she’s lucky he didn’t puncture a lung. 

Blake curls deeper into her side, pressing her knees close to her chest. She loved him once. It had been so easy to love him. He had made it so easy. But it’s so hard now, and she doesn’t think she can love him. Not anymore.

There’s still a part of her that wants to. There’s a part of her that wants to believe her Adam will stay and the other Adam will eventually go away, wants to believe that everything he has done to her has just been a bad dream. Unfortunately, she knows better, but she can’t shake the hope from her heart. Once she does, then Adam is lost to her.

The tent flap rustles, and she’s sitting up as quickly as she can despite the pain. “Who’s there?” She stands up, one hand holding her ribs and the other reaching for Gambol Shroud. “Adam is not going to be happy about someone sneaking around his tent.” Her breath is shallow, her ribs are on fire, but they don’t need to know that.

A familiar face enters the tent, hands raised. “Don’t shoot,” Ilia jokes, and Blake almost collapses.

“Ilia,” she breathes, dropping Gambol Shroud back on the nightstand as she staggers toward her friend. Ilia rushes for her, crushing her in a hug. She wheezes and prays Ilia doesn’t notice the way she winces and bites her tongue to contain a scream.

“I’ve missed you,” Ilia says, and Blake leans into her friend’s touch despite herself. 

“I’ve missed you too.” Her voice is thick, and her eyes are hot, and not just from the pain. She breaks off the hug, stepping backward and holding herself. “But you have to go.”

Ilia flickers red before taking a deep breath. “I just got here. I haven’t seen you in months, Blake.”

Her throat is dry. “I’m sorry, but you can’t be here.” Her eyes dart around, and her ears perk up and try to listen for Adam’s footsteps. He’ll kill her if he finds Ilia here. Worse, he’ll kill Ilia and then her. “I can’t explain, but please. Please, Ilia, you have to go.” Desperation leaks into her voice, and Ilia flashes blue in worry.

“Are you okay?” she asks. Blake’s arms tighten around herself as she nods. 

“Fine, I just- I haven’t been feeling well,” she says. Her blood is rushing to her head. “I, uh, I’ve been sick. I probably shouldn’t have hugged you, even, but I was just so excited to see you-” She forces herself to break off. “You have to go.”

Ilia frowns. “I’ll be fine, I have a strong immune system and all my vaccinations. You look like you’re about to pass out, at least let me help you into bed.”

She nods, sagging in relief. “Thank you.”

Ilia comes over to her side and undoes the covers on the bed. “Do you need anything?” she asks as Blake gets into bed. “Water?”

“I’ll be okay, really. I just don’t want you to get sick.” The ground crunches near the tent, and she tenses. “Please, go. I couldn’t forgive myself if you got sick.”

Ilia narrows her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, Ilia, really.”

“Blake, you’re thin as a stick.”

“I haven’t been able to keep much down,” she lies. “Please. Don’t you have to leave for a mission soon?”

Ilia’s eyes flicker too many colors for Blake to keep track of. “That’s why I came, actually. Blake, I’m going to Menagerie. Do you want me to take anything to your parents?”

All air leaves her lungs. 

“Menagerie?” she repeats.

Ilia nods. “I can bring them a message. I know you haven’t wanted to talk to them, but it’s been so long, and I haven’t heard from you, and I just… I wasn’t sure, so I figured I would ask.”

Blake swallows thickly. What would she even say? What could she say?

“I-”

“I’m back, my love,” Adam says as he breezes into their tent. His hand is on his sword, and her stomach churns. He turns to look at Ilia, feigning shock. “Ilia, lovely to see you as always.” His grin is sharp. She’s not breathing. “What’re you doing here?”

Ilia cocks her hip. “She’s sick. She needs to see a doctor.”

“She’s seen a doctor, and she said that all Blake can do is rest and take it easy,” he soothes, moving to sit on the corner of their bed. Her hands tighten into fists underneath the sheets as he draws closer. He rubs her leg, but he’s facing Ilia. “I’ve been telling her to take it easy, but she’s been dying to see you. I figured we shouldn’t risk you getting sick, what with your mission.” The lies are smooth out of his mouth, and she gapes at how easy that fall off his tongue.

Ilia’s gaze hardens. “She’s wasting away, Adam. Look at her.”

Blake averts her eyes. “I’ll be fine, Ilia. I just need rest.”

“I promise you, I’m taking good care of her.” He squeezes her ankle, smiling back at her. “Isn’t that right?”

She smiles back, but she can feel it flutter weakly. “You are. He is. I’m fine. Really. I just need rest.”

Ilia’s eyes move to her, and her face softens. “Are you okay, Blake?” she asks, staring Blake down.

Blake nods. “I’m fine. Really. I’ll be okay.” 

Something in Ilia’s eyes shift, but she can’t identify what it is before she nods. “Okay. Okay.” Ilia’s shoulders sag, and Blake breathes a sigh of relief. “But do you want me to take anything to your parents?”

Adam squeezes her ankle, hard, and she forces herself to smile. “No, I’m okay. Thank you, though.”

Ilia nods. “When I get back, you better be better, okay?” she says, voice light. 

Blake nods and forces a smile. “I’ll do my best.”

Adam nods at Ilia, and then she leaves. Adam’s hand is still on her ankle, and his thumb is stroking her through the blanket. “Is she gone?” he asks quietly. Her ears poke up, and she nods. “Good.”

Tears start to cloud her eyes, and she looks into her lap. “She came to me, Adam, I promise, I tried- I tried to be good, I promise-” 

“Why was she here?” His voice is cold, and she winces.

“She just wanted- she just wanted to see me. She was worried about me.” She swallows. “Adam, I promise, I tried to get rid of her, I tried to be good-”

“I know, my love. I know.” He keeps rubbing her ankle. “But you knew I said no Ilia.” His voice is patient, but his hand is growing tighter around her ankle. She closes her eyes. “Look at me.” The tears are clouding around her eyes, and she keeps looking at her lap. “I said, _look at me_.” 

She does, and his head is tilted. He reaches for her face, and she freezes as he strokes her face. “I’m sorry,” she whimpers.

Her cheek is stinging before she realizes he’s slapped her. Her teeth cut her cheek, and she can taste blood in her mouth. She jerks her head to look back at him, and he slaps her again. Blake turns her head once more, and he hits her again. Tears are pouring down her cheeks, and she has no doubt her face is red. 

She looks back at him, staring into his mask. He smiles at her, and this time he strokes her cheek. “It’s okay,” he says softly, brushing her tears away. “It’s okay.”

Blake takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m sorry,” she says.

He brings her into his arms, rubbing her back and shushing her. “I know. I know.” His breath is warm against the shell of her ear, but she shivers. He kisses her temple. “It’s okay. It’s all gonna be okay. You’re gonna make this up to me.”

“How?” she croaks, and he grabs her by the chin.

“We’re going to Haven. And we’re going to make them pay.”

A rock drops into her stomach. “Like Beacon?”

“But better,” he says, voice turning hard. “Right, my love?”

She nods. “Right. I’m… I’m excited to prove myself. I won’t fail you this time. I promise.” Adam smiles at her, and he kisses her forehead in response.

“That’s my girl.”

She pulls herself out of her body as his hands start transversing her torso. He pushes her down on the mattress, her back bouncing on the bed. He pins her down by her wrists and kisses her neck, tongue wet against her skin. She whimpers, hoping he doesn’t notice. 

His lips on hers, and she wonders if he can taste her blood. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update coming Thursday! Do you guys like the Thursday updates, or would you prefer another day? Please let me know!


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everybody! I hope everyone is having fun during this quarantine. I've been writing like crazy to create a buffer, and, oh man, just wait.  
> No trigger warnings for this chapter.

Yang’s hand is shaking as she walks through her mother’s camp. The whole camp is draped in red and black, and her eye is twitching. Her breath is shallower than she’d like it, and her blood is coursing through her at a faster rate than she had thought possible. She grits her teeth and curls her hand into a fist. She’s here for Ruby. She can do this.

A woman comes out of the large tent, and she’s wearing a mask. Yang holds her breath as she takes it off, and she freezes. They look exactly alike, besides their coloring. They have the same nose, same mouth. But Raven’s eyes are cooler, and her smile looks like it’s rusty. “So, you’ve finally decided to visit me.”

Her nails dig into her palm. “I need to talk with you,” she says flatly. “Alone.”

Raven keeps talking as if she hadn’t heard her. “You’ve certainly proven yourself, from the looks of my men. Any questions you have, I’ll answer. And I’ll have someone prepare a tent for your stay.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

Raven doesn’t flinch, but her face goes hard. “Then why are you here?”

Yang squares her shoulders. “I know how your Semblance works. You can take me to Qrow, who’s with Ruby. Do that, and I’ll be out of your hair.” It’s her only bargaining chip, the only thing she can give her mother; the promise that she won’t come back.

“And why would I want that?”

“You tell me, _Mom_.” Raven’s eyes flash, and Yang allows her own to flash red right back.

“It takes real guts to come in and start demanding things of me, you know. And all for your sister. How very noble,” she sneers, and Yang has to stop herself from wincing. Raven flips her hair over her shoulder. “But if your sister is with Qrow, then she’s already a lost cause.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that your uncle is a hopeless fool for Ozpin, and he’s bound to have already dragged your sister into his mess. It would be smarter, Yang, to not get mixed up in all that. I mean it.” 

“I don’t care about Ozpin, I care about Ruby. I care about my family.” _Unlike you_. Raven’s eyes slide past her, and, if Yang didn’t know any better, she would guess it was out of shame.

“Maybe you should take a moment to consider the family you have here.” Raven spreads her arms, and Yang’s heart skips a beat before it falls to the ground and shatters.

Of course, now is when her mother wants her back. Now she decides that Yang is good enough for her. Now she’ll give her answers, answers she’s been craving since she found out Raven was her mother. 

The sick part is, a part of her wants to stay. A part of her wants to get to know her mother, demand the answers she’s craved for so long. She wants to know what went wrong and who her mother is and why she is the way she is. She wants to know why she left. She wants to know, more than she wants anything. 

Her breath catches. Almost anything.

“Maybe you should have considered our family before you left,” she says before she can think twice. She narrows her eyes. “Nothing will keep me from my family.”

“Well, then. We’re done here. Take her away.” Raven turns away.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Watch your mouth!” someone yells, and she grinds her teeth.

“ _Make me_ ,” she seethes, her eyes red and her fists at the ready.

He never stood a chance, and it’s less satisfying than she thought it would be to slam him into the tent and watch it collapse. She straightens her back, her fists by her face. Yang’s not leaving until Raven takes her to Ruby, and if she has to fight her whole damn tribe, so be it.

“Yang?” a familiar voice shouts, and her eyes dart over to the collapsed tent where a familiar white haired heiress is standing in a cage.

“Weiss?” she asks, brows raising. 

Weiss turns, and then a giant glowing armored knight appears, bursting Weiss out of her cage. She runs over to Yang, immediately pressing her back against her own. “What is that?” Yang asks.

“It’s not important right now, what’re you doing here?” Weiss hisses.

“That’s my mom, and she can take us to Ruby.”

“Your mom kidnapped me?”

Yang’s hair starts firing up, and she clenches her fists. “You kidnapped her?”

Before Yang can charge at her mother, at the crowd, at _someone_ , lightning strikes. 

“Thank you, Vernal,” Raven says coolly, acknowledging the girl at the bottom of the stairs. “You two. My tent. _Now_.”

“And why would we do that?” Yang spits.

Raven smirks as she turns back towards the tent entrance. “If you insist on going after your sister and Qrow, you might as well know the truth before you do.” She strides into the tent, and Yang and Weiss are left looking at each other.

Yang scratches the back of her head, avoiding Weiss’s gaze. “Sorry about that-”

Weiss runs and tackles her tight, tucking her head over Yang’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you so much,” she says, and Yang can feel her tears leaking onto her shoulder. Yang smiles and hugs her back, leaning into her touch. 

“I’ve missed you too,” she says, closing her eyes. 

“Hurry up, you two!” the girl snaps, and they break apart, wiping their eyes. Despite herself, Yang can’t help the smile that blossoms over her face, and she grins even more at the twin one spreading across Weiss’s.

“It’s really good to see you,” Yang says as they walk towards the tent.

“You too.” Weiss smiles. 

“We were worried about you.”

Weiss sighs. “Well, I didn’t exactly have the best homecoming. But we’re together now, and soon we’ll be with Ruby. Right?”

Yang nods. “Right.”

By the time they enter the tent, Raven is already seated, and the girl is pouring tea. “Thank you, Vernal. You can wait outside,” Raven says as they sit.

Yang crosses her arms. “So. What’s this truth you keep talking about?”

Raven ignores her and sips at her tea. “It’s better while it’s hot,” she says, as if Yang hadn’t spoken. 

“The truth,” Weiss says, glaring down Raven. Yang cracks a smile at her teammate in spite of herself. She’s missed her more than she realized.

Raven sighs, and she puts down her tea. “There is no truth. Every side spins its own story. One version, a victory. Another, a massacre. Truth is hard to come by, but stories are a plenty, especially when it comes to Qrow and Oz. Your uncle has probably told your sister many stories.”

Yang’s hands clench against her arms. “He’s never given me reason to doubt his stories before,” she says. 

Raven’s brows quirk up. “That doesn’t mean those reasons don’t exist,” she says, taking another sip of tea. Yang’s eyes narrow. “Did he ever tell you about why we joined Beacon?”

“To become Huntsman and Huntresses?” Yang bites. 

Her mother shook her head, stretching backwards. “No. To learn to kill Huntsman.”

Weiss looks at her, she can feel it out of the corner of her eye, but she focuses her gaze on her mother. “You’re lying.”

She puts her hand up in surrender. “I would never lie to you, Yang. That’s someone else’s job.” Raven takes another sip of tea. “Our tribe needed us to go and learn to defeat them, to stop them from stopping our raids. Qrow and I were the right age, and the exam was easy, especially compared to what we had already faced.”

“What’s your point?”

“What do you know about Professor Ozpin?”

“He was a prodigy. One of the youngest people to ever become a Headmaster,” Weiss says, still uneasily looking at Yang. 

Raven smiled, but it was cold. “But did you know he planned it that way?” she asks. “All over Remnant, his little secret network made sure he got his position.”

“But he was so young, how did he- why did he- what?”

“Professor Ozpin had a great and terrible secret,” Raven says, plowing ahead. “A secret that, if it got out, would bring chaos and ruin to the known world.” Another sip of tea. “He let Team STRQ in on that secret, after watching us for years. Giving us breaks when we broke the rules, turning a blind eye… sound familiar?”

Weiss is still looking at her, but Yang refuses to move her gaze from her mother. “So what’s the secret?”

Another sip of tea. Yang is ready to punch the damn cup out of her hand. “The Grimm have a master. Her name is Salem. She cannot be stopped, she cannot be defeated, she cannot be reasoned with. She wants to destroy humanity and tear us apart.” Raven’s eyes meet hers. “Ozpin is leading a suicide squad to face her. I should know. I used to be part of it. We all were.”

“Team STRQ?”

Raven nods. “Yup,” she says, popping the _p_. “You really should drink your tea before it gets cold,” she adds.

“Enough of the tea, why should we believe you?” Yang asks, rising to her feet.

“Exactly. Why should you believe me? Why should you believe him?” She chuckles. “You’ve swallowed everything you’ve been told so far without protest, and where has that gotten you? Where has that gotten Qrow, or your father?” She rolls her eyes. “Question everything, Yang. Or else you’ll end up like those two fools.”

Yang takes a deep breath, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Don’t you _dare_ insult my family,” she hisses, stepping into a fighting stance. “You don’t know the first thing about them anymore. You don’t know the first thing about me!”

“I know more than you think, Yang.”

She ignores her. “You were never there! You left us! You left me!” Her breath is ragged, and the air goes still around them. “Why?”

“I know more than you realize. I’ve seen more than you realize, I’ve been there. I know all of Ozpin’s dirty secrets, I know where Qrow is, and I know magic is real.” She smiles. Her teeth are sharp as needles. “And I can prove it.”

Her heart is hammering in her chest as her mother leaves the tent. Weiss gets up beside her, shooting her a nervous look. Yang starts after her mother, Weiss following close behind. 

When they leave the tent, there’s no one in the clearing. Her mother is gone. 

Again.

Yang’s hands turn to fists, and she resists the urge to stomp her foot on the ground. “Can you believe this?” she huffs, crossing her arms. “She has to be lying.”

“Are you okay?” Weiss asks quietly.

“I’ll be fine once she takes us to Ruby.”

“It’s- It’s okay if you’re not okay, you know.”

She turns to stare at her. “I’ll be fine once we’re all back together again.” 

A bird caws, and Yang recoils. “I’ve seen that bird before,” she says distantly. The raven outside her window that night, the one that gave her a start. 

“Maybe it’s your mom’s?”

The bird starts flying right for them, and then it’s no longer a bird, and it’s Raven. Weiss gasps, and Yang staggers backwards. 

“How did you do that?” she asks, stepping forward again. 

“Ozpin did something to Qrow and I. I’d explain further, but you want to get to your family, don’t you?” Raven slices at the air with her sword, and a swirling portal of black and red appears. Yang’s stomach churns. 

“You’re letting us go?”

“I’m giving you a choice. I can send you on your way to your sister, or you can stay with me. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, Yang. I’ll answer all your questions and more. We can have a fresh start.” She pauses, smiling slightly. “And I heard you’re looking for a Blake Belladonna. I can help you with that too, Yang. If you stay.”

Yang’s fists clench. “What do you know about her? How do you know about her?”

Raven smiles. “I told you. I’ve seen more than you realized.” 

The idea that Raven was there when she lost her arm stabs her in the stomach enters her mind, and she turns cold. No mother would let their child get hurt like that. Right?

“Who’s Blake?” Weiss asks, nose scrunched.

Raven shrugs. “It’s your choice, Yang.”

She turns around and storms back into the tent. She grabs Bumblebee and drives it back around, Weiss still standing there. Without a second thought, Yang grabs Weiss by the wrist and drags her through the portal.

They scare the shit out of Qrow’s bartender. 

* * *

Yang shakes her hands out as Qrow unlocks the door. “We’re home,” he calls, ushering them in. “And I have a surprise.”

“Dinner’s almost ready!” Ruby calls, and Yang nearly crumples to the floor. It’s been so long since she’s heard her sister’s voice.

“You’re gonna want to see this now, Ruby!”

“Just a sec!”

Yang dusts herself off, nervously glancing at Weiss. Her insides are twisting. What if Ruby doesn’t want to see her? What if she’s mad at her? What if-

Her thoughts cut off as Ruby rounds the corner with a bowl in her hands. “What’s the surprise-” The bowl shatters on the ground. Yang smiles, aware of the tension in her face. 

“Hey, sis.” She slowly moves toward Ruby. “I missed you.”

Ruby runs at her, holding her tight around her midsection. “I am so, so sorry for leaving Yang, I just-”

“Hey,” she interrupts, “you do not need to apologize. Not for that, and certainly not to me.”

Ruby sags against her. “But-”

“No buts.” She squishes her sister tighter and closes her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Ruby sniffs. “I’ve missed you too.”

Yang smiles. “I love you,” she says, and she can feel Ruby smile.

She suddenly breaks out of Yang’s arms and extends towards Weiss. Weiss tugs at her ponytail before sighing and tackling the two of them once more.

“Team RYW, together again!” Ruby chirps, and they all laugh. 

They break apart, grins all around. “How did you guys get here?” Ruby asks, eyes shining bright. 

Weiss and Yang exchange a glance. “It’s a long story,” they say in sync, and they burst into laughter again.

“How about we do this after dinner?” Qrow suggests, taking a drink from his flask. Ruby nods, brightening up.

“We made so much food!”

“We?”

Four heads poke around the corner.

“Hello.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Oscar!”

“Hiya!”

“Nora, get off my back!”

Yang blinks, nodding. “Okay. We. Got it.”

Ruby drags them into the kitchen, where someone has already set the table. Ren, Jaune, Nora, and a kid, presumably Oscar, all smile back at them, all sitting around the table. 

“We have so much to tell you!” Nora chirps, and Ren elbows her.

“After dinner,” Ruby rushes to say, eyes flickering. 

“Agreed,” Weiss says, scooping some food onto her plate. 

She moves to get food, and all eyes immediately flock to her arm. A blush rises to her face, but she ignores the weight of their gazes and acts like it’s totally normal. Yang resists the urge to stretch out her fingers, instead placing her hand in her lap. She can just eat with her left hand. It’ll be fine.

“That is so cool!” Nora squeals. Yang blinks.

“Yeah, it matches Ember Celica perfectly!” Ruby says, making heart eyes at her arm. “What does it do? What does it do?”

Yang grins. “I’ll show you after dinner,” she says mischievously, stabbing some food with her fork and shoveling it into her mouth. 

“Your dexterity is quite impressive,” Ren notes.

“Yeah, it feels almost just like my arm,” she says. She pauses. “Well, it is my arm. But you know what I mean.”

They stuff themselves until they’re round as circles, and Yang practically rolls herself out of her chair and into the living room. “So, who wants to go first?” Ruby asks.

“Maybe you should,” Weiss suggests. “I have a feeling that it’s a lot more exciting than what I did, at least.”

Ruby nods, taking a deep breath. “Um, so, you know the four maidens story? Yeah, well, that’s real, and there’s these four relics, and-”

“Ruby, you’re telling it wrong. Let me.” Jaune clears his throat. “Oscar is Ozpin.”

“No, don’t start with that!” Nora exclaims. “Okay, so magic is real, and Ozpin is magic!”

“You’re all telling it wrong,” Ren says, brow furrowed. “Why don’t we just let Qrow tell it? He did a pretty good job the first time.”

They all look to Qrow, taking a deep drink out of his flask. He rolls his eyes. “You know the four maidens story?” he asks. “Ruby wasn’t wrong when she said that it’s real. She could’ve delivered it better, but the Maidens are real. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.”

He leans back in his chair and crosses his legs. “Each Maiden possesses a great deal of magic, and it’s our job to protect them and the relics, which are located beneath each of Remnant’s four combat schools.”

“And what do the Maidens do?” Weiss asks.

“Well, they’re supposed to help protect the people from-”

“Salem,” Yang says. Qrow winces, then turns to Oscar.

“I think it’s time you come out and talk to them,” he says.

Oscar sighs. “Just so you know, I’ll still be here.” He closes his eyes, and then his voice changes as his posture straightens up. “Miss Xiao Long, Miss Schnee. It’s good to see you again.”

“So Oscar is Professor Ozpin now?” Weiss asks, remarkably calm.

Qrow tilts his hand back and forth. “It’s more like two souls sharing one body, with Oscar being the primary soul, but basically, yeah.”

Oscar, or Ozpin, she supposes, fixes his gaze on her. “What else did your mother tell you?” he asks.

Yang crosses her arms. “That magic is real. That Salem exists. That you turned her and Qrow into birds somehow.”

Ozpin sighs. “It was their choice, Yang. I made that explicitly clear.”

“ _She_ didn’t seem to think of it that way.”

“We made our choice. Raven may regret it, or be bitter about it, or whatever, but we made our choice.” Qrow levels his glance at her. “ _Willingly_.”

Yang nods. “Anything else?” she asks coolly.

Ozpin and Qrow exchange a glance. “That basically covers it,” Ozpin says, “but there are more details, if you’d like.”

“Let’s get back to that. Why should we trust you?”

“Yang!” Ruby hisses, but Yang ignores her and stares Ozpin down.

Ozpin’s brow quirks. “Fair question, Miss Xiao Long. You already have proof magic is real. I’m afraid I cannot conjure proof of Salem, but she is real, and she is a threat to all humanity.” His voice tightens. “I would not judge any of you if you were to leave this fight. Now is the time to turn back if you’re uncertain.”

Yang leans back, crossing her hands behind her head. “I’ll stay as long as Ruby stays. And as long as that’s the last of the secrets,” she warns. 

Ozpin purses his lips, then nods. “Agreed.”

Yang smiles tightly. “Good.”

Jaune clears his throat. “So, Weiss, Yang, how did you get here?”

She and Weiss exchange another glance, and Yang inclines her head. “You go first,” she says, relaxing backwards. 

Weiss clears her throat, daintily spreading her skirts. “It’s not that exciting,” she says. “I got disowned as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, my father locked me in my room, my brother hates me, my escape route crashed after being attacked by Lancers, and then I was kidnapped by Yang’s mom. Pretty standard.”

Nora blinks at her, jaw slack. “If that’s standard, what’s exciting?” she asks, jostling Ren. 

Weiss shrugs. “I also summoned a Boarbatusk at a party, if that counts.”

“ _You_ disrupted a party?” Ruby asks, feigning shock and fanning herself. “Where is Weiss, and what have you done with her?”

Weiss rolls her eyes, but she smiles. “It was all worth it if it meant I got to see you all again.” Yang places her hand over her heart and bumps against Weiss. “Why’re you bumping me?”

“You know, for affection.”

“That’s how you show affection?”

“Yeah, you just, you know, bump.”

“That’s so weird.”

“But you missed it!” Yang beams.

“What about you, Yang?” Ren asks, ignoring Nora as she bumps him. 

Yang shrugs. “I figured I was done resting.” Her eyes shift over to Weiss and Ruby. “And I figured my sister could use some help.”

Weiss stiffens up, turning to face her. “Who’s Blake Belladonna?” she asks.

“Who?” the rest of the group echoes, and Qrow groans, leaning backwards. 

“You’re still on her?” he asks, taking a drink.

Yang’s eyes narrow. “I know what I saw.”

“Yang?” Ruby asks, eyes wide. 

She sighs, running her hands through her hair. “Blake saved my life. Back at Beacon. After he-” Her voice catches, and she clears her throat. “After Adam took my arm, she sprinted me away and hid me from him.” She nods at Ruby. “She’s the one who put me in the dumpster.”

“She put you in a dumpster?” Weiss asks, nose wrinkling. “That’s not sanitary.”

“Yeah, well, we were a little limited on time.” Yang sighs. “She saved my life. And after all this, I want to find her and free her from the White Fang.”

“Wait, she’s White Fang?” Weiss snaps. “The White Fang saved you?”

“The White Fang took my arm, _she_ saved me.” Yang looks at her hands. “She was punished for it. He slammed her into the wall after she hid me and carried her back, kicking and screaming.”

“She’s White Fang, there’s no saving her, Yang,” says Weiss. Her voice is hard. 

“She didn’t seem to be there very willingly, Weiss.”

“She’s White Fang, of course she was there willingly!”

“Then why did she save me?”

“Maybe because you imagined it!”

Yang takes a deep breath, her hands curling into fists. “I know what I saw,” she grits. “And once this is done, I’m going to her. With or without your help.” Please be with their help, please be with their help.

Ruby’s hand touches her forearm, and she smiles up at her. “Yang, why don’t you tell us what happened? From the beginning? So we can understand where you’re coming from.”

Yang nods, and she straightens up. “He told her to kill me.” She says it as bluntly as she can. “And she didn’t. She carried me away, and when she realized he was going to catch us, she hid me and gave me a ribbon to make a tourniquet. She saved my life. And then he caught up to her, slammed her into the wall, and carried her away while she mouthed at me to run. You can’t tell me that this girl doesn’t need help.”

Weiss sighs. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, Yang, it’s just that-”

“You were traumatized, firecracker. That does something to your memories.”

“My memories are fine,” she insists. Weiss glares daggers at her.

“There’s no way the White Fang would suddenly decide it values human lives.”

“Yeah, well, she did. And I owe her my life. I plan on paying it back.”

“By what, throwing it away on some pointless mission?”

“Saving lives is not pointless!”

“Who even said she needed saving?”

“Being slammed into a wall does!”

Her eyes flash red, and Weiss glares right on back. 

Ruby’s hand squeezes her forearm, and she sighs. “I owe her. I need to do this.” Ruby rubs her arm gently. “And I’d appreciate your help.”

“How about we figure out what’s going on here, and then we figure out what’s next?” Ruby suggests. “We’re still needed here. You’re still needed here, Yang.”

Yang nods, but she brushes Ruby off and starts for the bedrooms. “I’ll see you all in the morning,” she calls, stretching upwards as her heart races. 

“Yang, wait-”

“Let her go, Ruby. She’s obviously not in the mood to be sensible.” Yang’s hands form fists, but she simply sighs, and she closes the door behind her.

She’s not imagining things. She knows what she saw, what she felt. She looked into those gold eyes and saw the fear radiating from them, she heard the _smack_ of her head against the brick, she saw the blood dripping down her face. Blake needs her, needs someone to save her. And she can do that. 

Yang flops onto the bed and curls into herself. She’s not imagining things. She’s not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! :D


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! This chapter is a rough read, so please, please, please take the trigger warnings seriously. This chapter is the main reason this fic is rated M. Take care of yourself first.   
> Quote of the Chapter: “He will burn her, he promises. He will shred her skin to make into kindling” -Nikita Gill  
> Trigger Warnings: violence, blood, rape, assault, abuse

Adam is looking up at her, and he’s smiling. His face is unmasked and unscarred, and he looks happy and full of light. They’re somewhere in the sun, and she can feel its warmth on her skin. He’s holding her in his arms, her face pressed into her chest. “I love you,” he murmurs, and she smiles. He starts running his fingers through her hair, all the way down her arms.

He grabs her wrist tightly, and his eyes turn red. “And I’m never letting you go,” he hisses, dragging her down, down, down. She screams, and he throws her to the ground, and everything is dark.

“Why can’t you just listen?” he hisses, and she braces herself for a kick to the ribs. “Why do you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you, I love you!”

He kneels down beside her. “My little liar,” he says, brushing her hair out of her face. 

The scene whirls around her, and then wide lilac eyes are staring into her own. Gambol Shroud is cocked and ready in her hands, and he’s leaning over her. “Do it,” he says, and she watches as she blows the girl’s brains out. She falls to her knees, and her hands are bloody, and she can’t stop screaming.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-” 

Strong arms wrap around her, and someone is cooing in her ears. “You’re okay, you’re safe.” The breath is warm on her ears, and she shudders against his grasp. “You’re okay, you’re okay.”

Adam rubs her arms, and her breath slowly returns to normal. She leans back against his chest. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks, hands grabbing her own. She shudders at the reminder of his touch. 

“I had a nightmare. I’m fine,” she says, staring down at their entwined hands. He hums, tucking his head over her shoulder. “I’m fine.”

“But you’re not fine, my love.” He hunches over, covering her body with his own. “What happened?”

Blake swallows. “I had a nightmare about Beacon,” she says.

“Oh?”

She nods. “It was about the girl I- I failed you.” 

Adam sighs, turning his head to look at her. “You did,” he agrees, “but you’re stronger now. You don’t need to worry about that now.”

“But what if I fail you again?” she asks. 

“You won’t.”

“But what if I do? What if I can’t?” Her chest heaves, and she starts to shake. His grip tightens on her hands.

“You’re really worried about this, aren’t you?” he asks.

“I don’t want to fail you again.”

“Do you trust me?”

“What?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

Adam nods. “Then you’ll be fine.”

“I’m scared,” she admits. “I don’t know if I can do it.”

“You can. And you will.” He squeezes her once, twice. “I’ll help you, my love.”

A pause.

“What is it like?” she asks softly. 

“What is what like?”

“Killing someone.” He stiffens against her. “I just- I want to be prepared.”

He sighs, and his breath is hot on her collarbones. “You sure you want to know?” he asks, wary.

She nods, and tightens her hands around his. “Please.”

He straightens up, pulling her further into his lap. “At first, it’s scary.” His voice is smooth and calm. “You don’t realize what you’ve done until you’ve done it, the weight of it. It’s heavy, and if you let it, it can overwhelm you.” He nuzzles her cheek. “But I won’t let it do that to you. This is justice, Blake. It’s not murder, it’s righteous.” Her heart aches in her chest. 

“I wish that it made it easier.”

“It will.”

* * *

Adam runs back to their tent one night, and he’s panting. “Adam, what’s wrong?” she asks, immediately going over to him. 

“Someone killed Sienna Khan,” he says, and Blake stills.

“What?”

“She was assassinated by a group of humans. They escaped, and it was too late for Sienna. We couldn’t save her.” He hangs his head. 

Blake shudders. “Not Sienna,” she breathes, reaching for his hand.

Adam simply nods, looking at the ground. “And they want me to take her place.” 

All air leaves her lungs.

Adam chuckles, dark and low. “It’s everything I’ve ever wanted, but at what cost?” he scoffs.

The words are still drilling into her.

Adam will be head of the White Fang.

Adam will be in control.

Adam will have absolute power.

She rubs his back, distracted by the fear starting to build in her. “You’re going to be a great leader,” she says, threading her fingers through his hand. He turns to look at her and smiles, despite the pain he was just showing.

“Only because I have you by my side.”

Blake smiles, but furrows her brow. “Aren’t you scared about being leader with this group on the run?”

He shakes his head. “If they come after me, they’ll have to fight me. And I won’t lose.” He pulls her into his arms and strokes her head. “Don’t worry about me. And don’t worry about yourself, either. I’ll protect you too.”

“Thank you,” she forces herself to say. He kisses her forehead and stares into her eyes before sighing, brushing her hair behind her ears. 

“I love you so much,” he says. “I promise, I will protect you.”

* * *

The next day, as they’re getting dressed, Adam pauses. “I want you to come with me to my meeting today,” he says as she’s brushing her hair. Blake turns around.

“Are you sure?” she asks, hesitant. “I mean, I don’t even know what this is about, I don’t know how much help I’ll be-”

“You will be helping me by just being there,” he says, taking the brush from her hands. He turns her around to face the mirror, and he takes over where she left off. He is gentle but steady with the brush, carefully combing through the knots in her hair. “You don’t have to say anything, just sit there and pay attention. I’ll catch you up afterwards.”

She nods. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”

“Just sit there and look pretty. So, just sit there.” He smiles. “Don’t ask questions, and don’t talk unless they ask you directly.”

“Who’s going to be there?”

“Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, and Hazel. Just the six of us, nice and cozy.” She hasn’t seen any of them since before Beacon. He finishes up her hair, forgoing her bow. “I want you to start coming with me to all my meetings.”

Her heart hammers in her chest, but she forces herself to still it. “You trust me?” she asks.

“I’m starting to,” he says quietly, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “You’ve been doing well in training, and you deserve it.” He grabs her hand and pulls her toward him, slipping his hand around her waist as they walk out of the tent. “I want to trust you, Blake. Don’t give me a reason not to.”

“I won’t. I promise, I’ll be good.”

“I know you will.”

Blake swallows as they walk through camp, his hand on her the entire time. They come to the war tent, and the rest of their group is already inside.

“Adam,” Cinder greets, coolly looking over Blake, “I see you brought company.” Blake stifles a gasp at Cinder’s appearance. Her once long hair is now around her neck, and her face is covered with a giant scar. Her hair covers the left side of her face, and her dress covers the left side of her body. Before Blake can gape at her, Adam gently pushes her into the tent. 

Blake resists the urge to stiffen and sits down, looking to Adam. 

“I thought it was time my wife started learning the ropes,” he replies with a grin. He reaches for her hand and kisses it, looking up at her. She smiles back and pretends the red in her face is from embarrassment.

Cinder raises her eyebrows. “Congratulations.”

He shrugs. “What’s the update?”

“Now that Sienna is no longer a problem,” Hazel begins, “we can start readying the airships.” He scoffs. “But Raven Branwen holds the key to Haven’s success.”

“The Branwen Tribe?”

Cinder nods, leaning forwards. “We have reason to believe she is in possession of the Spring Maiden, and we need to bargain with Raven for our usage of Spring at the sacking of Haven. We need to find their camp, and we need to talk to them.”

Adam nods, leaning forward. “I’ll send scouts out immediately. The Branwen Tribe has been a pain since we’ve been in Anima. I’d like to return the favor.”

Cinder rolls her eyes. “We just need to talk. For now. If she refuses, which I doubt, then you can set their camp ablaze to your heart’s desire.”

He nods, but Blake sees his hands form fists underneath the table. “My men are getting antsy waiting for Haven. Anything else?”

“I’d like a representative of the White Fang to come with when we talk to Raven,” Cinder purrs. “I have no doubt that she will ask to be left alone by Salem, and I imagine sweetening the deal to include the White Fang in that would help us greatly.”

Adam blusters. “I cannot leave camp right before we’re due for Haven.”

“I know. I want  _ her _ .” Cinder points her finger at Blake, and all eyes turn to her. She swallows thickly.

“What? Why?” His voice is incredulous. “She’s still recovering.”

“But she’s here, isn’t she? And who better than your wife to represent you when you cannot be there yourself,” Cinder says patiently. 

“Won’t Raven be insulted that I’m not there?”

Cinder shrugs. “I doubt Raven has spent all her free time following your leadership squabbles. And who would be better able to act as the leader of the White Fang than the daughter of a former leader and the wife of the current one?” She quirks her brow. “What do you say, Blake?”

She looks to Adam, but Cinder conjures fire in her palm, drawing her attention back to her. “I’m not talking to him, I’m talking to  _ you _ . Will you come with us?”

Blake can feel Adam staring at her, but she’s focused on the fire in Cinder’s hand. “I don’t know how much help I would be,” she admits, throat dry. 

Cinder waves her hand. “I’ll do most of the talking, I just need you there to represent the White Fang and acknowledge that you will honor the agreement we make with Raven.” She tilts her head, snuffing the flames out. “What do you say?”

She thinks about it. 

If she says yes, she’s disobeying Adam. 

If she says no, she’s ruining their relationship with Cinder and she’s disobeying Adam. 

She’s stuck.

She looks at Adam, whose face is stone. “I would be honored,” she says slowly. Adam’s face doesn’t change, but his grip tightens briefly on her hand. 

Cinder smiles. “Good,” she says. 

* * *

They walk back to their tent in silence. Once they’re in the tent, Adam just stands there, looking at her. She twitches under his gaze. 

“Adam?” she says slowly, and then he’s back-handed her across the face. Blake falls to the floor, clutching her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, curling into a ball. 

He kicks her in the ribs with a growl, and she hears a  _ snap _ before she feels it. She screams. He kicks her again, and again, and again, until she can’t tell when one scream starts and one begins. She tastes blood in her mouth, and she doesn’t know what it’s from, if she’s bit her mouth or if he’s punctured something inside her. 

“I’m sorry!” She sobs, shaking in a ball. 

“Put up your Aura.”

She sniffs, not moving her hands from protecting her face. “What?”

“Put up your Aura.”

She does, and she can breathe again. 

He kicks her twice as hard, and she hears another  _ crack _ . She screams again, and he responds with another hit. 

Another.

Another.

Another.

Another.

Another.

He doesn’t stop until she feels her Aura shatter, and she’s screaming and sobbing and retching air out of her lungs. Once she feels it break, he sighs, rubbing his face with his hands and turning around. 

“I’m sorry, Adam, I’m so sorry.”

He silently picks her up and drops her in bed. Her ribs are bruised, but not broken, but they’re  _ all _ bruised. She can’t breathe, and he doesn’t drop her gently. She scrambles up to face him, tears staining her cheeks. 

He stares at her as he strips off his clothes, his face a mask.

Her chest is shuddering as he climbs on top of her. “You’re mine, Blake.” The words are rough, and he rips off her clothes without a care. She tries to help him, but he growls, and she lets him throw them in the corner, breathing heavily. 

“You’re mine,” he grunts. She bites her lip and closes her eyes from the pain. “Look at me!” She forces her eyes to open, and she’s staring into his mask as he grabs her throat and presses her down into the mattress. She sputters, but he just squeezes tighter.

“Yours,” she chokes out, hands in fists at her sides, “all yours.” He just grunts and tightens his fists, and she tries to start prying at his hands but he’s too strong. Fuzzy black dots crowd her vision, and then he releases, and she takes a deep breath before he’s back at it. She’s pulling at his hands, but he won’t budge.

“Please,” she rasps, “please.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adam Taurus will burn in Hell. I promise.   
> See you Thursday.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Glad to have you guys here. No trigger warnings for this chapter, so relax, and enjoy!

Yang wakes up and dresses in silence. 

She goes through her morning stretches in silence. She goes for her run in silence. She showers in silence. Silence, silence, silence. There’s nothing echoing in her head, just the quiet. She doesn’t want to think, so she won’t. She can just go through the motions of her day, and she does. 

She winds up on the roof for her after-run stretches. Taiyang had gotten her hooked on meditating. She initially started doing it when she first woke up in the morning, but too often she would wind up back asleep in bed. So after the run meditation it was, although she did miss the just waking up meditation. 

Yang chucks her legs over the edge of the roof, letting her feet dangle back and forth against the wall. She watches as the sun starts to rise over the city, and she takes a deep breath. In, and out. In, and out. In, and out.

She closes her eyes, reveling in the chill of the morning air and the slow warmth of the sun’s rays creeping over her. 

In, one.

Out, two.

In, three.

Out, four.

In, five.

Out, six.

In, seven.

Out, eight.

In, nine.

Out, ten.

Again, and again, and again, until her head is clear and her heart is calm. She flexes her fingers, slowly waking her body up from its peaceful rest. Her feet twitch, and she starts swinging them once more. Yang opens her eyes, and she blearily blinks at the sun. It has risen more than she had anticipated.

“Hey,” Weiss says, and Yang turns around. She’s standing behind her and holding two steaming mugs of what’s presumably coffee. “Peace offering?”

Yang silently takes the coffee and inclines her head. Weiss sits beside her, letting her legs swing over the side. Yang watches as they bounce against the wall before she crosses her legs and smoothes out her skirt.

They sit for a moment, each drinking their coffee. Weiss made it just how she liked it. Yang hides her smile behind her mug, and they stare out at the sunrise for several minutes.

“I’m not here to say sorry,” Weiss says suddenly, still staring straight ahead. Yang purses her lips, but stays sitting. “The White Fang may not have been responsible for my childhood, but it certainly didn’t help.” She takes a sip of her coffee.

“People around me would go missing, or die because of them. Shipment would be raided, our mines disrupted, and rebellions sparked. That all leads to a very angry Father, and that made for a very difficult childhood.” 

Weiss sighs. “I’m not saying I don’t understand that the Faunus are disadvantaged, I do. And not all Faunus are the White Fang, I know that now. But the White Fang is dangerous, Yang. I don’t want to lose you to them, too.”

Yang reaches for her hand, but Weiss keeps holding her cup. “I don’t think that anyone in the White Fang is capable of what you say happened, of that kind of kindness. I just don’t.” Another sip of coffee. Yang is starting to hate having beverages while having serious conversations. “But if you say this girl needs help, then I’ll believe you, and I’ll help you. I won’t lose anyone else to them.” 

Yang smiles. She reaches over and hugs Weiss, who briefly stiffens before leaning into her touch. “Yes, yes, I am amazing, I know,” Weiss sniffs, but she’s hugging Yang back.

“I’m sorry for yelling,” Yang says finally.

“I’m sorry for yelling back at you.” They break apart, and Weiss is smiling at her.

“I just-” Her voice catches, and Yang stares down into her cup. “No one believes me. And I know what I saw. I owe her my life, and I can’t get the sound of her hitting the wall out of my head.” Gold eyes flash at her, and she sighs. 

Weiss rubs her arm, but Yang doesn’t stop. “I was ready to die, Weiss. I thought that was it, it was the end of me.” She closes her eyes, and red flashes behind them, but she doesn’t open them. “He told her to kill me, and she decided that my life was worth saving. For some reason, I was the line in the sand for her. How can I leave her to them after all that?”

“But are you prepared to see her if she doesn’t want to leave them?” Weiss asks softly.

Yang squares her shoulders, but she sighs and crumples in on herself. “I don’t want to think about that,” she says. “I looked into her eyes, Weiss, and all I saw was fear. I can’t think about why she wouldn’t want to leave.”

Weiss pauses for a moment, then sighs. “It’s hard to leave, even when you know you should,” she says carefully. Yang goes silent, seeing if she wants to talk further. “It’s like, you know this isn’t right. You know this isn’t good. But it’s all you know, and it could always be worse.”

“But it could always be better.”

Weiss smiles up at her. “It can always be better,” she agrees, “but she might not know that. You should prepare for the worst.”

“Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.”

Weiss nods, then gently jostles her. “Drink your coffee. It’s going to get cold soon.”

“Did you save me any?” Ruby’s head pokes out onto the porch, and Weiss sighs and nods. 

“It’s on the counter, already the way you like it.”

“Thank you!”

Ruby zips out and plops down next to Weiss, already sipping at her barely-coffee. 

“Can you even call a splash of coffee with that much cream and sugar coffee still?” Yang asks with a grin. 

Ruby sniffs. “This is a shot of espresso, thank you very much.”

“Oh good, you gave her more caffeine.”

“I figured it couldn’t hurt.” Weiss shrugs and grins wickedly. “Much.”

Yang groans as they high five. “What’s the plan for today?” she asks, stretching upwards.

“Qrow said we have a meeting with Lionheart tonight, but, besides that, I think we can just relax and catch up until then.”

She nods and takes a drink of her coffee. “So, Ruby, have Ren and Nora gotten together yet, or are they still just making hopeless moon eyes at one another?”

Weiss giggles, and Ruby sighs. “Just moon eyes. It’d be funny if it wasn’t so frustrating. You try to talk to either one of them about it, and they just clam right up!”

Weiss shrugs. “They’re taking their time. It’s admirable.”

“Yeah, but slow-burn is the worst,” Yang groans, leaning back.

“Slow-burn?” Ruby repeats.

“You know, slow-burn romances?” Ruby and Weiss shake their heads. “Like, they take a super long time, the tension builds forever, and it’s like years before they even talk to one another?”

“That sounds like torture.”

“It’s fun to read,” Yang admits, scratching the back of her head, “but it’s painful to watch.”

Weiss’s nose scrunches up. “Who on earth would want to read that?”

“What, you like it when they get right to the good stuff?” Yang playfully elbows her in the ribs.

Weiss blushes. “That’s not what I meant,” she says, pushing Yang back. 

“We are on a roof, save your pushing for when we’re not!” Ruby says, but she’s smiling.

They all are.

* * *

“So, what exactly are we doing here?” Yang asks as they walk up to the school. Qrow sighs, scratching the back of his head.

“Lionheart called a meeting. I figured you kids should be there,” he says. 

“Then why are we armed to the teeth?”

Qrow shrugs. “It’s a Huntsman meeting. You never know how it’ll go.” 

Yang nods, and her hand twitches at her side. She takes a deep breath as they enter, looking around the beautiful room and taking it all in. Haven Academy is ornate and colorful, but her heart pangs for Beacon. For her old home. 

“Qrow! I wasn’t expecting you to bring the students,” a man, apparently Lionheart, says nervously from on top of a balcony. 

Yang studies him. His body language is all wrong. He’s twitching, he keeps looking over his shoulder, and there’s sweat beaded at his brow. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.

Yang keeps calm and still, but she elbows Nora, who nods and passes it on. She slowly shifts her feet to a fighting stance, keeping her arms loose and at her sides. No need to bring them up just yet. But she’s ready.

“Couldn’t leave them home without a babysitter,” Qrow drawls. “So, what’s the news on the Council?”

Lionheart’s eyes flicker over to Yang, and he turns white. “Oh, gods,” he says, backing up slowly. Qrow’s eyes remain fixed on Lionheart. 

“The news?” Qrow repeats, shifting his weight.

Yang’s eyes look around, and she spots a familiar red-eyed raven. 

“Mom?” she says, brow furrowed.

Qrow looks up, and his scythe is out in an instant. “Raven,” he growls, and then she’s standing besides Lionheart. “What’re you two doing? What are you doing with her?”

“What we can, Qrow,” Raven spits. She doesn’t even look at Yang. The girl from the camp, Vernal, appears from behind Lionheart and takes her place at Raven’s side. 

“That’s your mom?” someone says, and Yang sighs.

“Unfortunately,” she grits, bringing her hands up to her face as she arms herself. 

Raven’s eyes flicker to her, just for a moment. Then she’s back to staring down Qrow. 

“What’re you doing here, Raven?” he grits, weapon at the ready. “Why are you working with her, Leo?”

“He made a choice, the smart choice,” Raven cuts in before Lionheart can answer. “There is no beating Salem. There is only surviving.”

“You’re wrong,” Ruby interrupts, stepping forward. “If we work together, we’d have a better chance of beating her. Apart like this, we’re weaker. Together, we’re strong.” She extends her hand. “We need to work together.”

Raven’s lips quirk up. “You sound just like your mother,” she sneers, and Yang can feel Ruby’s wince from across the room. Raven swings her sword, and then Ruby is hit with a fireball and knocked against the wall. 

“Ruby!” Yang cries, diving to her sister. She looks up just as Cinder walks through, along with the rest of her crew. Yang’s stomach clenches at the sight of Mercury. He smiles and waves at her, smirking. 

“What, no hello for an old friend?” he asks, and her eyes burn red. 

An unfamiliar man slams the doors shut behind them. “The White Fang is ready to go,” he says. “No one’s getting in, and no one’s getting out.” Despite herself, despite everything, Yang’s heart skips a beat at the mention of the White Fang.

“Now it’s party time,” Cinder purrs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys Thursday!


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everybody! Hope you're all doing well in all this craziness. We're almost done, which is absolutely nuts to me. Thanks for sticking with me so far!  
> Quote of the Chapter: “The words ‘I love you,’ are sacred like the flowers that you have grown from seed to full bloom. Stop corrupting their holy innocence by using them as an apology for the sins you commit against the people who have handed their heart to you” -Nikita Gill  
> Trigger Warnings: physical evidence of past abuse, pain, discussion of abuse and rape, abuser apologizing, slightly suicidal thoughts

Blake wakes up the next morning. She’s almost surprised. 

She can already feel the bruises that have formed overnight all over her body, and she knows she won’t be able to walk right for a few hours, if not a few days, depending on how long her Aura takes to rebuild itself. That’s the side effect of locking her Aura down, she takes longer to heal. It hurts for longer, it burns for longer, it aches for longer.

She turns under the sheets to face Adam, who’s still asleep next to her. His face is unlined and covered by his mask, but she knows what lies beneath. Blake slowly sits up and gets out of the bed, wincing as she stands. Her legs are shaking. She stumbles to the dresser and pulls out her clothes. She doesn’t want to look in the mirror, but she does it anyway.

Her throat is a deep and bloody purple, and her ribs are barely any better. Her hands are shaking and red and scratched from trying to pry at his, and the dots around her hips from his hands are a soft and mossy green. Her body looks like a battlefield, and she lost. 

Her Aura is crackling at the edges, trying to mend her broken pieces, but she’s tired, and it fails and shatters around her. But her ribs are healed, and that’s what matters most. She can breathe.

Blake turns from the mirror as she gets her clothes on. She pulls on one of Adam’s jackets over her usual turtleneck to hide the rest of her bruises. It smells like him, and it makes her stomach revolt. Slowly, she pulls up her pants, wincing as she does. Her hips are not happy with her for all her moving, but she forces them to obey. She doesn’t have a choice, and neither do they.

Slowly, she shuffles out of the tent. She’s up early enough that most people aren’t awake yet, which suits her fine. Blake makes her way to the campfire, where breakfast is already cooked and bubbling. 

“Two, please,” she says, and her voice is hoarse. She winces, but the woman doesn’t notice. Either that, or she doesn’t care.

The woman hands her two bowls of oatmeal and some fruit. She nods her thanks and wobbles back to their tent, setting down their breakfast on the small table as she sits. Well, collapses. She waits for Adam to get up to eat, and she stares at his sleeping form. 

His mask is still on. 

Blake just watches as he wakes, as his breath quickens, as he rises amongst the sheets, and she forces a smile as he sits up and musses his hair. “I got breakfast,” she croaks, nodding towards the bowls beside her. 

He smiles back, and he gets out of bed and saunters over to her, taking a seat beside her. “Thank you,” he says, taking up his bowl and spoon. “You didn’t have to wait for me.”

She shrugs. The simple motion sends pain ricocheting throughout her body. “I wanted to.”

“Were you waiting long?”

“Just a few minutes. It should still be hot.”

He takes a spoonful and nods.

They’re eating their oatmeal, and Blake is struck with the sudden urge to laugh.

She doesn’t.

But it’s funny, isn’t it?

Last night, he beat her black and blue, took her by force, no, _raped_ her, and now they’re eating oatmeal like everything is normal. Like they’re fine. Like everything is fine. But it’s not fine. And she’s not fine. 

She’s not fine.

And that’s just hilarious.

She shovels a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth and forces it down, and then another, and another, until her bowl is clean. Speckless. Immaculate. Perfect. They eat in silence except for the scrapping of their spoons against the ceramic. 

Adam clears his throat, and she winces at the sound. “Blake, I-” He pauses, sighing. “I’m sorry about last night.”

She doesn’t meet his eyes. Instead, she just stares into her bowl. “I’m sorry too,” she says softly. The words taste like ashes in her mouth, but Adam shakes his head.

“No, Blake, _I’m_ sorry.” He reaches for her hands, and she can’t help the way she shrinks back as he does, but he grabs them anyways. His grip is hard. “I _am_ sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

She looks up at him, and he’s staring at her intently. She can’t see his eyes behind his mask, but she can imagine the softness in them. “You deserve better than that,” he says. “I’ll be better. From now on. I promise, I’ll be better. I won’t do that to you ever again.”

Blake looks down. “I forgive you,” she says, because what else can she say? 

He sags in her grip, and he leans over and kisses her brow. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Because what else can she say?

* * *

It’s a few days later, and she’s mostly healed. There’s a purple tint to her throat if she looks at it carefully, and her hands won’t stop shaking. But her Aura is back, and that’s what matters. 

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Adam asks, knitting his eyebrows together.

She nods, trying to seem confident. “I will be fine,” she says, feigning the exasperated girlfriend, no, _wife_ , Brothers’ above, for the onlookers. “I promise.”

He squeezes her hand. “Come back to me, my love.” 

She can hear Mercury and Emerald gagging, but Blake can also feel the weight of Cinder’s gaze as he kisses her. She leans into his touch and kisses him back. Her skin itches. “I’ll be back before you know it. I promise.” His eyes flash, but he nods, and he lets her go. 

Then they’re off.

They’re going to be walking for a few days, they don’t want Raven to hear them coming. It’s her, Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, and a man she’s never met before, a man called Watts. He seems sleazy, the kind of charming that oozes like oil. He and Cinder do not get along, and she is already regretting saying yes. 

As if Adam hadn’t made her regret it enough.

“So, tell us about yourself, Blake,” Mercury says, slinging an arm around her. She does her best not to wince, but she’s sure she fails. His arm is heavy on her, and she’s not used to anyone touching her beside Adam. The last person who touched her ended up with a broken hand. “The Chieftain of Menagerie’s daughter and now the leader of the White Fang’s wife. That’s gotta be quite the story.”

“Merc, leave the poor girl alone,” Emerald says, but her voice is bright, and she appears on Blake’s left. “He knows all about stories.” 

Blake clears her throat. “You two must have quite the story, then,” she replies weakly. “How did you get into all of this?”

“Cinder saved me,” Emerald says, still smiling, “and I owe her everything.” The sheer devotion in her voice makes her shiver. 

“I was just bored,” Mercury adds. Emerald huffs, but she’s rolling her eyes. 

Her stomach churns, but she forces herself to nod. “What do you think we can expect when we get there?” she asks. She’s glad, for once, that her face is largely hidden behind her mask. Cinder had insisted she wear it to represent the White Fang. She hadn’t argued.

Emerald shrugs. “I’ve never met her, but I’ve heard she’s a hard ass, to say the least. But she’s absolutely terrified of-”

“Emerald, Mercury, could you go scout ahead and see if there’s somewhere to camp for the night?” Cinder cuts in. “It’ll be dark soon.”

The pair nods and rushes ahead, Mercury winking at Blake as he passes. Watts sighs, speeding up his pace. “I’ll join them and make sure it’s… adequate,” he says, wrinkling his nose. 

Then it’s just her and Cinder. Blake has a feeling she planned this.

Cinder falls into step with her, careful to ensure that their arms don’t brush. She’s walking on Blake’s left, so her left side is to the woods, but she’s still careful to not touch her. Blake appreciates it, even if she’s sure Cinder didn’t do it for her. “You know, you don’t hide it as well as you think you do,” Cinder says carelessly, looking straight ahead as they walk.

Blake looks at her. “Hide what?”

“That you’re terrified of him.”

“Of who? Of Adam?” She laughs, but it comes out nervous. “I love him.”

Cinder shrugs. “Your throat is still purple. I doubt you did that to yourself.”

She swallows thickly. “What do you care?” she asks.

Again, she shrugs. “I really don’t,” she says, her voice almost sing-song. “But Adam won’t last at the top of the White Fang forever. He’s too unstable, too emotional.” Her eyes slide to Blake. “I can help you, you know,” she coos. “If you want it. Or anything else you want, really.”

Her heart pounds in her chest. “What if I just want to go home?”

“That’s boring,” Cinder dismisses with a flick of her hand. “You don’t want him to suffer for all he’s done to you? Make him pay?”

Blake stays silent, but her hands curl into fists. Did she want that? Did she want to hurt him? 

“That’s what I thought.” Cinder smiles. “Think it over, Blake. I’ll give you until just before we return to him. That should be plenty of time.”

“What would you want?” The words explode out of her mouth before she can contain them.

Another shrug. “We can work together in the future. Or you can consider it a favor.” Cinder bares her teeth when she smiles. “You’re not the only one who knows what it’s like to feel helpless.”

Before Blake can process what she’s said, Cinder picks up the pace. “Come on, Blake. We don’t want to be out here when it’s dark.”

Blake slows her pace, watching Cinder trail in front of her. 

_Or anything else you want, really_

What did she want? 

Blake hasn’t allowed herself to want anything besides Adam for so long. She craves freedom, of course she does, but it feels more like a dream than a possible reality. What does she _want_? 

She wants to breathe without pain. She wants to not have to wake up and form herself to someone else’s wants. She wants to sleep and not have nightmares. She wants to never hurt someone again. 

She has a feeling Cinder wouldn’t like her last goal.

Blake sighs, twisting her hair over her shoulders as her ears sag. Why even let herself be tempted? These were not good people, she knows that much. They were as responsible for the fall of Beacon as she was, more so. Cinder was no better than Adam, really. Worse, even. She planned it out, and Adam was just following her orders. 

And Blake is unsaveable. Adam would never let her go, and even as she feared him, hated him, she doesn’t want to hurt him. 

She just wants to be left alone.

* * *

She stands there as Cinder makes the deal with Raven, barely resisting the urge to cross her arms. That was a sign of weakness, wasn’t it? She feels like she read that somewhere. Either way, she keeps her arms at her sides and cocks her hip like she’s seen others do when they stand confidently. She hopes she’s pulling it off.

Blake is all too aware of the camp around them moving as they talk, and her skin itches at the thought of battle breaking out. Her hands twitch at her sides, ready to pull Gambol Shroud at the slightest provocation. Her body still aches, and she’s not sure how she’d fair if a fight were to break out. 

“So, do we have a deal?” Cinder purrs, extending her hand.

Raven Branwen removes her mask, and it takes everything in her to not stagger backwards.

“These kinds of deals are built on trust,” she says, “I need more.”

Blake swallows thickly, barely blinking. She looks just like the girl from Beacon, same face and everything. Their coloring is completely different, but, for a moment, Blake remembers the girl’s eyes flashing the red, and the resemblance practically strikes her to her knees. It’s hard to breathe.

Lilac eyes are flashing at her, and she wants to scream. This, this is how she dies. 

“What more could you want?” Cinder asks airily.

“I want my brother dead.”

Cinder practically sparkles at her demand. “That can be arranged.”

“Ladies, let’s hold on a moment,” Watts interrupts, but Blake is tuned out. She’s focusing on Raven’s face, and her heart is crumpling all over again. 

Failure is curdling in her blood, and guilt is leaking out. 

That girl is dead because of her. She hasn’t thought about her in weeks, why hasn’t she thought about her? Her breath becomes shallower and shallower, and she curls her nails into her palms. 

Those lilac eyes see no more because of her. 

Blake is shaking, but she has to keep it together, she has to. She’s supposed to be the leader of the White Fang, cool and sophisticated and definitely not unnerved by seeing Raven’s face. 

Was lilac eyes her daughter? Were they related? Did Raven know? 

“It’s a deal, then.” Cinder and Raven shake on it, and Blake is ready to run.

“We’ll all go to Haven from here, then.”

Blake’s head jolts up. That wasn’t the plan. She was supposed to go back to Adam, did he know she wouldn’t see him until Haven? He was going to kill her.

“We’ll stay in our own camp for the night, but thanks for the offer,” Cinder says. “We’ll meet back here in the morning to go over logistics.”

Cinder turns around, and Blake follows her, numb. 

She can’t keep going like this.

They get to camp, and Emerald is at her side. “Are you okay?” she asks, and all Blake can do is nod and smile weakly.

“Just tired, I think.”

Emerald nods, gaze turned pitying. “Adam mentioned you were still… recovering.” She helps Blake sit down on a log. “That’s got to be hard.”

Blake nods. Tears are ready to burst over her eyes, and she doesn’t know why. She feels detached from her body, and all too close to it at the same time. “It hasn’t been easy,” she says, distantly, “but I’m surviving.”

Emerald rubs her back, and Blake startles. “Sorry, I just- you seemed like you needed it,” Emerald says, pulling back.

“No, it’s fine, I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Emerald smiles at her and resumes rubbing her back. “You did good,” she says, and Blake has to close her eyes. 

But she didn’t, did she? The girl with the lilac eyes was dead, and she hadn’t saved her. She hadn’t done good, she had failed. Just like she had failed to escape, failed to run, and now the whole damn world was going to burn, and Blake could hardly care about anything except the girl she had failed to save.

Maybe she should just join Cinder. Maybe she should just stop caring and stop hurting. Maybe she should fight back.

Her breath catches in her throat, and she thinks of the way the girl never stopped trying to stand up and face them on her own two feet. She never stopped fighting. 

Didn’t Blake owe it to her to not stop, either?

She takes a deep breath, wiping at her eyes. “Thank you, Emerald.”

“Anytime.”

She squares her shoulders. She could do this, she could do this, she could do this.

She was going to run, and she would escape, or she would die trying. She would rather die than continue as she is, would rather die than hurt someone else. Haven would be her last run, and, so help her, she would make it count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I really loved writing this chapter, so I hope you loved reading it! Have a good week, guys!


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everybody! Hope you all are staying safe and healthy.  
> Trigger Warnings: violence, abandonment issues

Everyone is talking and yelling, but their voices are all blurring together, and Yang is just focused on Ruby. Ruby, who just got hit by a fireball. Ruby, who is already back on her feet, her eyes fixed ahead of her. “I’m fine,” she says, brushing Yang’s hands off of her, and Yang has no choice but to believe her because they don’t have time for her not to. Her stomach clenches, but they head back to the rest of the group and take up a fighting stance just as Cinder attacks Jaune. 

Ruby runs off to help him, but Emerald knocks her down with ease, and before Yang can run to her sister, before she can help, Mercury is coming at her and blocking her path. His face is light, but his eyes are hard.

“Hey there, _Blondie_ ,” he sneers. “I think you owe me an apology.” She growls, and then she’s on him.

He’s smooth and fast, but she’s smart and strong. Mercury is aggressive, but she’s used to dealing with aggressive. He’s not playing with her this time, she can feel the difference in his hits. He wants to hurt her now. This isn’t a game to him anymore. Mercury uses his legs as well as she uses her fists, and they’re well matched. Unfortunately well matched.

When she’s defensive, he’s aggressive and hits hard. When she’s aggressive, he flies away from her and manages to turn her energy back around on her. She grits her teeth. She wants to hit him in his stupid face so hard and wipe that damn smirk off of it. 

He grins as they fight, but she can see it start to crack as he realizes she’s gotten better since Beacon, as she starts to land her hits. She wants to smile, but she doesn’t bother wasting her energy on it. She has to pound him into the ground, has to get to Ruby, has to get back to her team. She has to stop this. 

But then she hears a scream, and everything goes still around her.

Yang turns in horror just in time to see Weiss get impaled, and even Mercury comes to a stop beside her. They all stand still in shock. The blood drains out of her face, and her knees buckle. She’d stumble forward, but she can’t move. She’s frozen.

The stillness is only broken as Jaune runs over and holds Weiss in his arms, crying out. Yang can only watch as the room descends even further into chaos around her, eyes darting about. Ruby is on the ground, Weiss is injured, and Cinder is unlocking the Relic chamber, and her mother is by her side. Her eyes dart between Weiss and Ruby and Cinder, unsure of where to go. 

“Stop them!” Nora yells, nodding at her mother, Vernal, and Cinder. She nods.

Emerald knocks her down before she can even move, and then it’s two on one. She gets back on her feet, but Mercury is already swinging for her. She’s vaguely aware of her mother, Vernal, and Cinder all descending down below, but she has bigger fish to fry at the moment than to worry about what they’re doing. Yang grits her teeth and stands back up as an army of Mercurys swarm around her.

She’s angry, and she’s more than ready for a fight. If only Emerald’s illusions would give her one.

She turns as another Mercury dissolves beneath her fist, and then there’s her mother, standing before her. Yang’s fists clench as her breath catches, and then Mercury is kicking her to bits from her side, and she’s on the floor again, head crashing against it. The pain snaps through her, but she gets back up, because what else can she do? She staggers forward, and she knows she can’t keep this up. Not forever. 

And then Ruby flies in on Crescent Rose to her side, and she can’t help but smile despite herself. Ruby came to her rescue. 

“Thanks, sis. You okay?” she asks, looking at her out of the corner of her eye as Mercury and Emerald regroup. She wipes the back of her mouth, and she brings her fists back up to her face despite the slight ache in her shoulders. She can do this. No, _they_ can do this.

“No. I’m angry.” Her sister’s voice is strong and furious, and Yang has never heard her so enraged. 

She nods, and the battle resumes. Having Ruby by her side in a fight makes her feel better, and it’s easier two-on-two. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Ruby headbutt Mercury, and she can’t help her smirk as he falls backward, even as Emerald does her damndest to hit her. She doesn’t, but she keeps Yang on the defensive. Yang is just happy to keep her distracted enough to stop her from using her Semblance.

There’s a crash, and something is going on outside. Then Weiss summons another giant glowing thing, apparently she’s fine now, she’s not sure how that happened, although Yang doesn’t have time to worry about her teammate. She’s relieved she’s okay, but while everyone is distracted by the noise, Yang runs for the where the statue used to be and grapples down. She hears Emerald shriek as she realizes she let her get away, and she hopes that Ruby can handle the both of them. But she knows her sister can. She has to.

She throws herself down the shaft and starts falling just in time to see her mother and Cinder fly into the air amongst the rocks. She watches as her mother pushes Cinder off the cliff’s edge and her hand glows blue. She watches as her mother closes Vernal’s eyes. She watches as her mother opens the glowing door, her eyes still emitting those red flames. She watches. 

Realization hits her like a ton of breaks, but she brushes it off. She’ll deal with the bruises after.

She lands, and her mother turns. Her face flickers, but her face is a still and unyielding stone. Yang starts to walk toward her, rolling her shoulders back as she lifts her chin, and her mother starts walking back from the gate to face her. Yang’s hand is shaking. 

“Believe me when I say, Yang, this wasn’t personal.”

Her fists clench and unclench. Her hand is shaking. “It never is with you, though, is it?”

Raven shoots her a glare. “How do you mean?” she asks, brow furrowed as she begins to circle Yang, hands on her hips.

_Not here, not now, not the time_. But she wants it to be here, wants it to be now, wants it to be the time. She wants to demand her mother acknowledge what she did and tear the answers she’s craved for so long out of her. She wants, and it’s almost enough to make her scream.

But that’s not why she’s here. 

Yang takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders. “You opened the vault.” Her voice is flat and monotone. “So what happened to the last Spring Maiden, _Mom_? She must have trusted you a lot to have you in her last thoughts.” Her hand is shaking. 

Her mother turns her back to her. “Was it sickness that got her in the end? Defeat in battle?” _Please_. 

“What does it matter to you?” Raven’s voice is trembling, and Yang knows.

She closes her eyes. She knows, and now she doesn’t want to. But she does. “Did you get her to trust you before you killed her, or was it not personal?” Her hand is shaking.

Raven whirls back around, her eyes flashing flames. “It was a mercy!” she seethes. “The world would’ve eaten that girl up and spit her out. What I did was a kindness.”

“A kindness, huh. I thought it wasn’t personal.” Yang’s throat bobs. Her eyes are hot.

“You don’t know me! You don’t know what I’ve been through, the choices I’ve made to stay alive.” 

Yang laughs, dark and cold. It reverberates through her empty chest. “You’re right. I don’t know you. And I don’t want to.”

“Yang-”

“What, Mom? You want to tell me that it wasn’t personal? That it was the only option? That it was a kindness?” Her own eyes flash red. “You left me. You left us. And I don’t know why I spent so long wanting to find you. I should have known. I should have known you wouldn’t be half the woman Dad talks about. Because that woman wouldn’t have left us.” Her chest is heaving, and her voice is already hoarse from shouting.

“Enough! I did what I did to survive, I did what others can’t do because they’re weak. I am strong, I am-”

“Oh, shut up!” Her breathing is ragged, and she stares her mother down. “You don’t know the first thing about strength! Strength isn’t running. Strength isn’t leaving your loved ones. Strength isn’t betraying your family. You’re not strong,” she scoffs. “You’re scared.” Her hand is shaking.

Raven staggers back like she hit her, but she bounces back, flames reigniting in her eyes. “You’re one to talk,” she sneers. “Look at you, shaking like a little girl.” 

Shame strikes her core, but she lifts her chin. “Yeah, I’m scared. I’m terrified. But I’m willing to do something about it.” She glares at her mother and clenches her fist until it stills. “And you may be powerful, but you are not strong. Strong is being scared and _staying_.” 

Raven narrows her eyes. “Just wait until the going gets tough, see if you’re still staying then.”

“I’m not like you!” Her voice echoes throughout the cavern. Her chest is heaving, and she stares her mother down. “You think that just because you’re my mother I’m going to run? That I’m going to abandon my family? That I’m going to abandon the people who need my help?” She shakes her head, starting for her mother. “I’m stronger than you, _Raven_. And you’re going to give me the Relic.”

“Why would I do that? Because my daughter claims she’s strong?” 

“Because you’re afraid of Salem!” 

Raven’s face flashes with fear, and Yang knows she’s won. “You don’t want this, Yang,” she warns. She doesn’t get out of Yang’s way, but her flames die down. Raven doesn’t move. 

She wishes she would.

“You’re right. I don’t.” She squares her shoulders and stands off with her mother. “But I have a choice, and I’m choosing to be strong. And when Salem comes, she’ll come for me. Not for you.”

A mother would never put their child in harm’s way.

Yang brushes past her, and Raven lets her. 

Her heart crumples to the ground and shatters. 

She’s almost to the gate when she hears Raven sniffle.

“I’m sorry, Yang.” Raven’s voice is fragile like glass, and Yang sighs as tears start to build up in her eyes. 

“Yeah. I’m sure you are.” And she keeps walking, not turning her head to know that her mother is gone as she hears bird wings flap away. 

She doesn’t let herself break until she grabs the Relic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll see you guys next Thursday! Thank you for staying with me through this. You have no idea how much it means to me.


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody, welcome back! Second to last chapter. And just a reminder, this is the first in a series. We have a long way to go. Hope you'll stick with me! :D  
> Quote of the Chapter: “I praise the human, gutted and rising” -Katie Ford  
> Trigger Warnings: violence, suicidal thoughts

Raven portals Blake and Cinder to Professor Lionheart of Haven, a sniveling man who winces everytime Cinder or Raven speaks, and then Cinder escorts her to Adam, who’s waiting just outside the city for them. For her.

“Have you thought about what I offered?” Cinder asks as they walk. Her tone is light, as if she doesn’t care. But there’s an edge to her voice that Blake can’t quite decipher.

Blake swallows thickly. “I love Adam,” she says quietly. The words taste like ash on her tongue.

Cinder nods, sighing. “Well, if you ever change your mind,” she replies airily. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing _lots_ more of each other.”

Her stomach clenches. What if Cinder tells Adam about what she offered? What if he believes her? What if he forces her back to camp? No, he wouldn’t send her back now, not when they’re about to sack Haven. He doesn’t have the time to manage her and deal with their forces.

He doesn’t have the time.

Blake thinks, and she thinks, and she thinks some more. 

She’s going to get out, or she’s going to kill herself trying.

* * *

Adam opens his arms as they approach, and she runs into them, pressing herself into his chest. “You were supposed to be back days ago,” he growls, and she’s not sure if it’s at her or at Cinder. He releases her, but his hand lays on her hip as she turns back to Cinder.

Cinder shrugs. “It made more sense for Raven to take us directly here. I knew you would adapt.”

Adam’s hand tightens around her hip. “I would have appreciated the heads up.”

“But you adapted, didn’t you?”

Cinder smiles sharply, and Blake’s stomach churns. Cinder turns, waving her hand to them. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They watch her go, Adam’s hand growing tighter and tighter on her hip until she knows he’s left more bruises. He would stop, she reasons. Eventually.

“Are you okay?” he asks finally, nuzzling her neck. His lips kiss the corner of her shoulder and her neck, and a shiver runs through her. 

“I’m fine. Raven agreed, and I’m fine.” He turns and his hands reach up to hold her face. She leans into his touch with a small smile. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” He takes off her mask and kisses her forehead. “I’m glad you came back.”

“Did I worry you?” she asks, trying for a light tease in her voice. Adam cuts her a glance, and she falls solemn. “I’m sorry, I knew you would be worried, I just couldn’t-”

“It’s okay, Blake. I was worried, but you’re here now, my love. And you came back.”

She smiles again. It wobbles. “I told you I would.”

She never said she would stay.

* * *

They approach Haven, and her hands are twitching. She’s beside Adam, and he’s already ordered their troops into position. 

“We’re placing bombs?” she asks, heart jumping into her throat. “Why?”

He shoots her a look. “This is our path to victory. We’re going to take down another Huntsmen academy, and we are going to ruin it.” 

“Are there people- are the students-”

“The students still haven’t come back from break,” he says, impatient. 

She nods, but she still winces as he sets the bomb. “That’s- that’s good.” She smiles at him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For making this easy for me.”

He smiles back at her, and he reaches for her hand as they walk back to the rest of the White Fang. She wonders if he can feel her pulse racing through her skin, wonders if he can feel her plan through her nervous touch. He’s always been able to read her like an open book. She can only hope she’s managed to pass under the radar.

She takes her place among the White Fang’s legion, and she watches as Adam begins his speech. “We are here today to take our vengeance on Mistral, for their failure to respect us, for their weakness! We are here today to avenge our fallen leader, Sienna Khan. We are here-”

Blake starts moving towards the back, allowing herself to be pushed behind others eager to get closer to Adam. Before she can even get halfway through the crowd, lights pour over them, and Blake’s eyes ache from the sudden brightness.

“ADAM TAURUS, THIS IS THE MISTRAL POLICE. SURRENDER PEACEFULLY.”

Her heart jumps in her throat as Adam smirks. “Brothers and sisters, we do not surrender!” he yells, and the roar around her is deafening. She keeps moving backwards.

“If you don’t surrender to them, surrender to _us_ ,” a familiar voice shouts, and then they’re surrounded. Blake whirls around, eyes wide. _Ilia_. 

Ilia’s face is stern, and she’s armed. “What’s this?” Adam rages. “A rebellion?”

“Stand down, Adam. The Faunus of Menagerie will no longer stand for this.” Her heart races, and she starts scanning the people around them. She’s not sure what she fears more, them being there or not. 

Murmurs are starting to sprout up amongst the White Fang, and Blake keeps slinking back. She forces herself to stop looking, forces herself to keep moving. “We will never stand down!” he roars. “You’re standing in the way of victory for the Faunus!”

“No. You are.” Ilia smiles coolly. 

Blake starts to run as chaos breaks out around her. White Fang turns on White Fang, turns on their brothers and sisters, and the battle is hesitant on both sides. She can hear pleas and begging all around her, from both sides, and her heart aches, but she has to run. She has to get away, she has to run.

The police are descending from above, and she doesn’t know where Ilia went, but she needs to get to the woods. She can hide there, and she can find Ilia afterwards. If she’ll have her.

She whips her mask off into the underbrush as she runs.

Her throat bobs, and her lungs ache, but she’s almost forgotten how much she loves running. The panic in her almost overwhelms the sheer pleasure, but she can’t help the smile as she approaches the tree line. She can do this, she can do this, she can- 

A flash of red blocks her path.

“Where are you going, my love?”

Blake’s hands clench, and she stills. “I’m not fighting against the people of Menagerie, Adam. I won’t.”

He studies her, circles her. “You’re running. Again.” He sags, but his hand is on his sword. “Why, Blake?”

Terror seizes her heart, and she wants to fall to the ground and beg forgiveness before he can catch her. She wants to crawl to him, beg for mercy, plead with him before he can punish her. Her hands wobble, and her throat burns.

Lilac eyes flash at her, and she swallows. 

She stands her ground.

“Because I’m not a killer, Adam. I can’t. I won’t.”

“You’re still weak.”

“Maybe I am. But I don’t want to be strong if that means hurting others.”

His eyes flare behind the mask. “You’re mine, Blake. You don’t get to run.”

“Then kill me!” He staggers back, but she keeps going. “I can’t live like this, I won’t live like this anymore.” Her eyes narrow, and she unsheathes Gambol Shroud. “If you won’t let me go, then I’ll make you.”

He hits Gambol Shroud out of her hand before she can blink, her wrist aching, and his sword is at her throat. “You can’t escape me,” he says, breath hot on her face. His hand is on her collar, and he’s shaking her. “Why can’t you just listen, my love? Why do you insist on hurting me?”

“Because you hurt me!” Her breath is ragged, and her eyes are hot. “You hurt me, Adam.”

He shakes his head. “No, that’s- that’s-”

“You can’t even admit it.” Tears start forming in her eyes, and she shoves him off her. “You hurt me first, Adam.”

“You left before I ever laid hands on-”

“There’s more than one way to leave scars.”

He flinches, and he sets his shoulders. “We have to go, Blake. We can argue about this later.”

“No, Adam. I’m not going with you.”

His eyes flicker behind her, and she’s all too aware of the fighting behind them. He grabs her hand and starts dragging her. “Yes. You are.” He heaves her over his shoulder, and she’s hitting him, kicking him, screaming, and he’s disregarding all of it. “Stop fighting me!”

“Stop making me fight!”

Adam groans, and he drops her to the ground. She hits the ground hard, but Adam is clutching his shoulder.

“She said she’s not going with you.” Ilia stands before her, pointing her weapon at Adam. “Surrender now, Adam.”

He sneers at her. “Do you think she’ll love you if you save her? She won’t. She’s a liar, Ilia, a promise-breaker. She’ll run the first chance she gets.”

“I don’t care, Adam. You don’t own her.”

Blake moves to get to her feet, reaching for Gambol Shroud as she does. Adam’s eyes are darting between her and Ilia, and he smiles sadly. “You could have come with me.” He’s looming over her, and she can’t move before he’s stabbed her straight through the abdomen. “I’ll be back for you, _my love_.”

She screams as he whips his blade out, and then he’s running. 

He’s gone.

“Blake!” Ilia rushes to her side, cradling her head. Her skin is bright red, and her eyes are burning. “I’ll kill him, I’m going to kill him, I’m- I’m so sorry. I wasn’t fast enough, and I’m so sorry for leaving you, I knew, and I’m so sorry-”

“Thank you, Ilia.” And then she starts to sob, and Ilia holds her, rubs her back. 

“Can you stand?”

Blake shakes her head. Ilia keeps rubbing her back. Blake’s fingers are coming away from her stomach bloody, and her breath is shallow. “I said I would get away or die trying,” she says, not looking Ilia in the eyes. “I guess I was right.”

“No, Blake, you’re not going to die,” Ilia says.

She looks up towards the sky, towards the moon. “Is it bad that I don’t care?”

“Blake-”

“Oh. My Aura.” She flickers purple, and she hisses as she feels her skin start to sew itself back together. “I guess you were right.”

Ilia stares at her in horror. “Why was your Aura down?”

“I-” How can she explain? 

There’s an explosion behind them, and Ilia whirls around, eyes darting to Blake.

“Go, I’ll be fine.” They’re close enough to the academy.

“But-”

“ _Go_. I’ll see you after, and I’ll explain everything.”

Ilia nods, and then she’s off. Blake takes a deep breath, sitting on the stone as she heals. She can already feel that it will leave a scar, her Aura is too unused to working for it to heal the wound seamlessly. She lays down on the stone and holds her side.

She doesn’t sob. She just lays there, and tears pour down her face.

Is this what freedom feels like? 

There’s another explosion, this time from a building, and Blake’s head turns to see Emerald and Mercury beating some girl in red through open doors. She swallows.

It’s not her fight. Not anymore.

She’s injured. She can’t.

Does she really want to go against them?

Blake stands and wipes the tears from her eyes just as the wound in her side finishes scabbing. It’s tender, but she’s used to pain. She can fight it.

She starts for the building, Gambol Shroud in her hands.

Mercury smiles as he sees her, and then she shoots.

The girl in red turns to look at her, and she moves to shoot at her, but then Blake is on Mercury, and she’s fighting him.

“Why’re you doing this, kitty?” he grunts, pushing her back.

She stays silent and goes back to back with the girl in red. “You’re here to fight them?” Blake asks, and she feels the girl nod. “Good.”

And then they explode. 

The girl is a whirl of rose petals and metal, and Blake feels dizzy just watching her, so she doesn’t. She focuses on Mercury, whose eyes keep darting to Emerald. 

“Why?” he asks, parrying another strike of hers with ease. “We helped you!”

“You helped yourselves,” she spits. “You didn’t care about me.”

“Cinder asked you, she offered-”

“But you saw the bruises, didn’t you? You knew?” He doesn’t look her in the eye, but he smirks. 

“I told her you were the one to watch,” he says. “I guess I was right.”

And they’re back at it, and he’s on the offensive, but he’s tired, and she’s injured, but she’s fresher. She wraps him up in her ribbon and trips him, and then Emerald is on her before she can release him.

“Traitor!” she screams, and then her blades are swinging for Blake. She blocks and dodges, sending herself further away from the yelling girl with her Semblance. “Cinder will kill you for this!”

“I don’t care!” she screams back. “Let her!”

Emerald blinks, but she’s back on the attack, and Blake is warping from one corner to the next. She’s vaguely aware of the chaos around her, from a giant blue floating Lancer to a man shooting lightning and fire, but she’s focused on Emerald and Mercury. The girl in red is handling herself well, but Blake is flagging. Her stomach hurts, the scab is tearing as she moves, and then the girl in red starts shouting for peace.

“Cinder won’t let us down!” Emerald shouts, and Blake is catching her breath when everyone turns toward the hole in the center of the room.

Her heart stops. It can’t be.

The girl doesn’t see her, but she’s blonde and smiling, and she has a robotic right arm, and she has lilac eyes. She has lilac eyes, Blake can see them from where she’s standing. She has lilac eyes. 

Blake falls to her knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER OF VOLUME ONE!!! EEP!!!  
> Trigger Warnings: panic, abandonment issues

The Relic is heavy in her hand, but Yang can’t stop crying. She’s wiping at her face and taking deep, heaving breaths, but her chest won’t cooperate and she can’t get enough air into her stupid lungs. She can’t breathe. The tension that has been in her all her life has finally snapped, and she’s fallen to pieces without it. 

All her life, she’s wondered about her mother. All her life, Yang has wanted to know her, understand her. All her life, she’s craved answers. All her life, she wanted her mom, a mom, any mom. And now she has her, and Raven is somehow worse than the hole she left behind.

Her breath is shaky, and Yang curls in on herself, shoulders sagging. She didn’t think anything could hurt worse than knowing that her mother left her. She didn’t think anything could be worse than knowing that her mother didn’t want her. She was so, so wrong. Her mother leaving again her _burns_ , and Yang wants to scream. 

She can’t scream, won’t scream. She won’t. To scream would be to acknowledge it, to acknowledge the gaping hole Raven first left and the scar tissue she just ripped into again, and she can’t deal with the onslaught of everything that just happened flooding her system. It’s barely a trickle, and she’s already drowning in it. Her lungs are burning, and she can’t breathe, and everything around her is wreckage from her mother’s warpath.

Raven failed her, again. Why should she have expected anything different? Because Raven gave birth to her? Because mothers are supposed to protect their children? Because she didn’t think someone could be so selfish? Because Raven was supposed to be her mother?

Her mother is terrified, and that fear is enough to make her abandon Yang all over again. Raven doesn’t care about her, she only cares about herself. 

But Yang wanted her to care. She wanted her to be scared for her, she wanted her mother to say, _No, I’ll take the Relic, I’ll protect you_. She knew she wouldn’t, knew her mother would never put someone, even her own daughter, before herself, but she wanted, and maybe she still wants, but her heart can’t take anymore disappointment.

She may be strong, but that doesn’t mean she wants to be. 

Yang’s knees are burning in the sand, even through her pants, and it’s that pain that brings her back to herself. It’s the pain that reminds her she has a job to do. It’s the pain that reminds her that her team needs her, that her team cares about her. Her real family cares about her, and they need her right now.

She sniffles, wiping at her face and squaring her shoulders. It doesn’t matter now. Raven doesn’t matter now. She made her choice, and Yang made hers. 

She takes deep, shaky breaths until her hand’s shaking is down to a minimum. 

In, one.

Out, two.

She stands.

In, three.

Out, four.

She turns.

In, five.

Out, six.

She starts walking.

In, seven.

Out, eight.

She doesn’t look at Vernal.

In, nine.

Out, ten.

Yang can do this. She can do this.

She walks back down the blue glowing path and fiddles with the elevator’s control panel until it starts to rise. Her face, she’s sure, is red and blotchy and tear stained, but hopefully no one will notice. They’re all bound to be gross from battle grime, and with luck she’ll be able to write it off as such. She wipes at her face some more, wiping the tears off her face. This is a victory, and she should act like it is.

Even if it feels like a defeat.

She holds the Relic at her side and forces a grim smile as she rises into the light. The light blinds her, but she keeps smiling as she raises the Relic above her head and the elevator stops, leaving her standing on the top of the balcony. Everyone is staring at her, but she holds her chin up. She won’t crack. _She_ won’t run. 

She smiles at Ruby, who grins back at her. Weiss breaks out in a huge smile, and Yang can’t help but feel the pull at her mouth to expand her grin into a true one. Her team is okay. They’re okay, and she’s gonna be okay. 

But someone by Ruby falls to their knees, and Yang’s eyes dart to them. They’re unfamiliar, but she could swear she’s seen them before. Long black hair covers their face, and she could swear that they have black cat ears. Her heart quickens.

Before she can stare further, Emerald screams, and the room goes dark, and there’s a horrible white and black and red woman screaming in front of them, twisting and aching and laughing, and Yang has never seen anything so horrible in her life. Fear curdles her blood, and she moves into a fighting stance as the woman swoops down and charges at her team. She moves to protect the Relic, but then the woman is gone, and so are Emerald and Mercury and the strange man from before. 

Her breath is shallow in her chest, but she makes her way down to the rest of her team, ignoring the shakiness of her step. 

“What was that?” Weiss asks, her sword still out. The blade is shaking. 

“An illusion. But an accurate one.” Ozpin clears his throat, leaning on his staff. “That was Salem.” Yang’s blood revolts, but she doesn’t let herself think. 

She doesn’t let herself think about how her mother let her bring _that_ onto herself, doesn’t let herself think about how maybe her mother’s fear was well-placed, doesn’t think doesn’t think doesn’t think-

The stranger starts to sob on the floor next to Ruby, and Yang moves towards her.

“Hey, it’s okay-”

Gold watery eyes look into her own, and she staggers backwards.

“Blake?”

Blake’s chin wobbles in a nod, and Yang starts to shake. 

“You’re alive,” Blake says, holding herself. There’s blood crusted all over her side, and there’s tear stains on her cheeks. She looks like she’s been through Hell and back again. Yang’s stomach tightens, and Blake’s face crumbles into a thousand pieces. “I am so, so sorry.” 

Her hand starts to shake.

“You’re here,” Yang breathes, dropping to her knees alongside her. “You’re actually here.” Blake hesitantly meets her eyes, and Yang smiles as tears start to pour over her own cheeks once more. “You saved my life.”

“I thought you were dead,” she sobs, and Yang goes still. “He told me he killed you, but you’re alive. You survived.”

“You saved my life,” she repeats. “ _You_ saved my life.”

And Yang reaches for her hand and squeezes gently, too afraid to reach out for a hug. Blake’s breath catches, and Yang stares her in the eyes. Those golden eyes that had saved her so many times.

“I-”

“Blake Belladonna, you are under arrest!”

And once more, all Yang can do is watch as Blake is dragged away, sobbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, chapter one of volume two will be posted this coming Thursday! 
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me for this crazy journey. I hope that you stay around for the rest of it. <3

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter will be posted tomorrow!


End file.
